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I A  Florida  Heritage  publication 


Introduction 


The  rich  legacy  of  the  Jewish 
community  in  Florida  can  be 
found  in  every  region  of  the 
state.  As  a  people,  Jews  have 
contributed  dramatically  to 
Florida's  economy,  culture  and 
government  and  created 
institutions  that  allowed  their 
heritage  to  flourish  and  their 
identity  to  strengthen. 

Although  there  is  a  perception 
that  Jews  did  not  arrive  in 
Florida  until  after  World  War 

Mosaic 

The  Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail 
has  had  its  own  journey.  It  is 
an  outgrowth  of  MOSAIC,  the 
pioneer  history-gathering 
project  of  the  Florida  Jewish 
experience.  MOSAIC  began  in 
1984  as  a  local  history  project 
at  the  Samuel  M.  and  Helene 
Soref  Jewish  Community 
Center  in  Plantation  (Broward 
County).  Soon  the  focus  of 
MOSAIC  was  broadened  to 
cover  the  entire  state.  Marcia 
Zerivitz  spent  six  years 


II,  Jewish  history  in  Florida 
actually  can  be  traced  to  1763 
with  the  arrival  of  Alexander 
Solomons,  Joseph  de  Palacios 
and  Samuel  Israel  in 
Pensacola.  In  the  1800s,  many 
Jewish  families  immigrated  to 
Florida  from  northern  states 
and  foreign  countries  to  settle 
both  inland  and  along  the 
coast.  Today,  South  Florida  is 
home  to  the  second  largest 
concentration  of  Jews  in  the 


crisscrossing  Florida,  traveling 
more  than  100,000  miles, 
researching,  collecting  photos, 
documents  and  artifacts,  and 
training  volunteers  in  oral 
histories  and  the  collection  of 
historic  materials.  Hundreds 
of  people  contributed 
photographs  and  artifacts 
from  their  families.  From  this, 
the  MOSAIC:  Jewish  Life  in 
Florida  exhibit  was  mounted 
and  traveled  to  11  Florida 
cities,  then  nationally,  from 


world.  Florida  has  the 
nation's  third  largest  Jewish 
community,  estimated  in  1999 
at  800,000. 

The  Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail 
retraces  the  steps  of  Florida's 
Jewish  pioneers  from  colonial 
times  through  the  present.  You 
are  invited  to  visit  the  histori- 
cal sites  that  reflect  the  Jewish 
experience  in  Florida. 

Good  luck  on  the  Trail.  Shalom 
aleicheml  Peace  be  with  you! 


1990  to  1994.  MOSAIC  became 
the  basis  and  inspiration  for 
the  Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH 
MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA  in 
Miami  Beach.  This  guidebook, 
the  Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail, 
has  been  enriched  by  the 
photos,  documents,  artifacts, 
oral  histories,  and  other 
archives  that  are  now  housed 
in  the  Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH 
MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA. 


Authors:  Rachel  B.  Heimovics,  Freelance  Writer,  Maitland;  Marcia  Zerivitz, 

Founding  Executive  Director,  Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH  MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA,  Miami  Beach 

Graphic  Design:  Jonathan  Lee  Lyons,  Lyons  Digital  Media 

Photography:  Collection  of  the  Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH  MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA,  Michael  Zimny,  Phillip  M.  Pollock, 

Rachel  B.  Heimovics,  Florida  Photo  Archives,  Florida  Department  of  Commerce,  and  Ray  Stanyard.  Photos  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  S.H.  Benjamin  and  the  S.H.  Benjamin  &  Co.  building  courtesy  of  the  Micanopy  Historical  Society  Archives 

©  2000  Florida  Department  of  State,  Division  of  Historical  Resources 

ISBN:  1-889030-20-1 


Contents 


The  Jewish  Experience  in  Florida 2 

Northwest  Florida 5 

Northeast  Florida 10 

Central  and  Central  East  Florida 17 

Central  West  and  Southwest  Florida 23 

Timeline  Of  Some  Significant  Dates  In  Florida  Jewish  History 28 

Ybor  City  Walking  Tour 29 

Map  of  Sites 30 

Southeast  Florida 32 

Jews  in  Public  Office 41 

Glossary 44 


On  the  Cover:  The  Hebrew  inscription  reads,  "Why  is  this  book  different 
from  all  other  books."  The  photos  on  the  seder  plate  are  1.  The  Simon 
Ridgeway  House  in  Monticello  2.  Beach  Street  in  Daytona  Beach  3.  Ohev 
Shalom  Cemetery  in  Orlando  4.  The  Audobon  House  in  Key  West  5.  The 
interior  of  Temple  Israel  of  Greater  Miami  6.  The  Henry  Brash  House  in 
Apalachicola  7.  The  Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH  MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA 


Many  of  the  sites  listed  in  this  publication  are  listed  in  the  National  Register  of  Historic  Places,  either  individually  or 
as  contributing  resources  in  a  historic  district.  The  National  Register  is  an  official  list  of  historically  significant 
properties  located  throughout  the  country.  The  list  is  maintained  by  the  National  Park  Service,  and  includes  places 
that  have  been  documented  as  being  significant  in  American  history,  architecture,  archaeology,  engineering,  or 
culture,  at  the  local,  state,  or  national  level.  For  more  information  on  the  National  Register,  consult  the  National  Park 
Service's  National  Register  website  at  www.cr.nps.gov/nr/. You  may  also  call  the  Florida  Bureau  of  Historic 
Preservation  at  (850)  487-2333  or  1-800-847-7278  or  visit  their  website  at  www.flheritage.com. 


■■j 


The  Jewish  Experience 
In  Florida 


Cultural  Clashes 

The  Jewish  experience  in  Florida  has 
been  rich  in  achievements  and 
successes.  Jews  have  prospered  and 
left  legacies  that  will  forever  help  to 
define  the  character  of  Florida. 
However,  these  outstanding  achieve- 
ments and  contributions  to  Florida 
have  a  dark  side  -  one  of  prejudice 
and  discrimination.  In  early  Spanish 
Florida,  Jews  and  other  non-Catho- 
lics were  prohibited  from  legally 
settling  in  Florida  and  practicing 
their  religion.  Following  England's 
acquisition  of  Florida  in  1763,  Jews 
were  free  to  settle  legally  in  Florida. 

However,  persecution  and  prejudice 
still  made  their  lives  difficult  and 
limited  their  choices  in  employment 
and  settlement  opportunities.  When 
Florida  became  an  American  terri- 
tory in  1821,  more  Jews  were  free  to 
move  to  Florida.  Here,  America's 
tolerance  of  religious  diversity  made 
the  state  attractive  to  those  perse- 
cuted in  other  lands.  Immigrants 
from  Europe,  Spain  and  the  Carib- 
bean converged  in  Florida  to  assist  in 
the  creation  of  a  multiethnic  society. 

Although  the  new  American  Florida 
offered  more  opportunities,  persecu- 
tion, hatred  and  discrimination 
followed  the  Jews  from  their  native 
lands  to  Florida.  As  the  numbers  of 
Jews  increased  in  Florida,  so  did  the 
number  of  discriminatory  acts 
against  them.  During  times  of 
economic  or  social  crisis,  Jews  often 
were  victims  of  hate  crimes  and  other 
atrocities.  For  instance,  in  the  violent 
aftermath  of  the  Civil  War,  Samuel 
Fleishman,  a  Jewish  merchant  and 
20-year  resident  of  Marianna,  was 
murdered  for  advancing  credit  to 
freed  blacks.  In  1891,  the  Key  West 


City  Council  imposed  a  $1,000  tax  on 
peddlers,  a  large  majority  of  whom 
were  Jewish,  forcing  many  to  move 
farther  north.  Across  the  state,  Jews 
faced  and  overcame  these  obstacles. 
The  Jewish  settlers  of  the  late  1800s 
and  early  1900s  persevered  and 
carved  niches  for  themselves  in  this 
new  and  lush  land  of  opportunity. 

With  World  War  I,  anti-Semitism 
again  increased  sharply  in  the  state. 
On  Miami  Beach,  restrictive  land 
covenants  prevented  Jews  from 
residing  north  of  Fifth  Street.  Ocean- 
side  hotels  advertised  their  resorts 
for  gentile  clientele  only.  Large  areas 
of  Florida  were  closed  to  Jewish 
settlement.  Orlando's  Jewish  com- 
munity was  excluded  from  a  war 
bond  rally  in  1917.  In  Miami,  the  Ku 
Klux  Klan  parodied  a  popular 
tourism  slogan:  "It's  Always  June  in 
Miami"  to  "It's  Always  Jewish  in 
Miami." 

Until  the  Civil  Rights  Act  of  1964, 
Jews  were  an  "outsider"  minority 
without  an  organized  ability  to  fight 
the  widespread  discrimination  they 
faced  in  real  estate,  employment, 
higher  education,  and  politics.  Jews 
were  forced  to  found  their  own  law 
firms,  banks  and  other  professional 
institutions  because  they  could  not 
become  partners  in  gentile  firms. 
They  established  their  own  hospital 
because  Jewish  doctors  were  denied 
hospital  privileges  elsewhere.  Jews 
were  barred  from  country  clubs, 
fraternities  and  other  social  clubs. 
Given  the  discrimination  that  was 
accepted  among  large  segments  of 
the  non-Jewish  population,  the 
economic,  political  and  cultural 
contributions  made  by  Jews  to  the 
State  of  Florida  are  even  greater 


achievements  because  of  the  barriers 
they  faced  and  overcame.  Chapters 
of  the  Anti-Defamation  League 
(ADL)  and  the  American  Jewish 
Congress  were  created  in  Florida  to 
battle  anti-Semitism  and  protect 
Jewish  rights.  These  groups  have 
helped  ease  discrimination,  but  by  no 
means  has  discrimination  been 
entirely  stamped  out. 

Jewish  Organizations 

As  Jews  settled  in  Florida,  they 
formed  organizations  that  met  the 
educational,  social,  health,  and 
recreational  needs  of  their  communi- 
ties from  cradle  to  grave.  Some  of  the 
early  organizations  were  created  to 
help  immigrants  become  settled.  For 
example,  the  first  chapter  of  B'nai 
B'rith,  a  national  organization  that 
works  to  educate  its  members  and 
support  Jewish  causes,  was  founded 
in  1874  in  Pensacola. 

Few  organized  Jewish  groups  existed 
until  the  Jewish  population  increased 
sufficiently  to  sustain  them  in  the  late 
19th  and  early  20th  centuries.  As  the 
Jewish  population  increased,  Jewish 
Federations,  Jewish  Community 
Centers  (JCC's)  and  youth  organiza- 
tions were  formed  around  the  state. 
At  the  college  level,  Jewish  fraterni- 
ties and  sororities  were  established  at 
college  campuses.  Organizations  also 
were  created  to  help  with  specific 
causes,  like  the  Zionist  movement. 
Jewish  newspapers  and  magazines 
were  founded  and,  in  recent  years, 
major  facilities  have  been  built  to 
care  for  the  Jewish  elderly.  All  Jewish 
organizations  help  Jews  keep  in 
touch  with  each  other,  ensuring  that 
their  heritage  is  passed  from  one 
generation  to  the  next. 


Cemeteries 

The  Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail 
describes  many  Jewish  cemeteries,  all 
of  which  are  significant  to  the  Jewish 
community.  Judaism  requires  that  a 
Jew  must  be  buried  in  a  Jewish 
cemetery  and  not  a  cemetery  of 
another  faith.  Burial  in  a  non- 
sectarian  cemetery  is  allowed  only  if 
the  Jewish  graves  are  not  inter- 
mingled with  the  graves  of  other 
religions.  For  this  reason,  separate, 
consecrated  Jewish  sections  often 
were  established  within  larger  non- 
sectarian  cemeteries. 

The  first  organization  formed  by  a 
Jewish  community  is  often  a  chevra 
kadisha,  literally  a  holy  society,  whose 
purpose  is  to  prepare  bodies  for 
Jewish  burial.  Until  Jewish  cemeter- 
ies were  established  in  Florida,  such 
organizations  shipped  remains  out  of 
state  for  ritual  burial.  It  was  inevi- 
table that  as  the  Jewish  population 
grew,  the  local  community  would 
create  a  nearby  Jewish  cemetery. 

Consecrating  a  Jewish  cemetery 
involves  certain  procedures.  A  prayer 
group  meets  at  the  site  with  the 
stated  purpose  of  consecrating  the 
ground.  The  group  recites  psalms, 
usually  beginning  with  the  23rd 
Psalm  and  continuing  with  the  119th 
Psalm,  and  concludes  with  a  recita- 
tion of  the  mourner's  kaddish,  a 
traditional  prayer  said  on  the  day  of 
burial.  To  distinguish  the  occasion 
and  the  site,  old  Jewish  prayer  books 
and  ritual  objects  also  may  be  buried. 
Finally,  the  group  walks  around  the 
perimeter  of  the  property. 

In  1857,  when  six  Jews  perished  in  a 
yellow  fever  epidemic,  the  Jackson- 
ville Hebrew  Cemetery  was  estab- 
lished as  a  separate  section  of 
Jacksonville's  Old  City  Cemetery. 
This  was  the  first  Jewish  cemetery  in 
Florida  and  the  first  recorded  Jewish 
community  institution  in  the  state. 
The  Jacksonville  Jewish  cemetery 
was  the  first  of  a  series  that  later 
included  Key  West,  1865;  Pensacola, 
1869;  Ocala,  1873;  Tampa,  1894;  St. 
Augustine,  1911;  and  Miami,  1913. 


After  Jewish  cemeteries  were  estab- 
lished, it  was  not  unusual  for  re- 
mains to  be  relocated  from  distant 
burial  grounds.  This  process  is 
generally  discouraged  unless  it  is  to 
move  Jewish  remains  from  a  non- 
Jewish  cemetery  to  a  Jewish  cem- 
etery, or  to  reunite  the  remains  with 
others  in  the  decedent's  family. 

Today,  many  Jewish  cemeteries  can 
be  found  throughout  Florida,  some 
located  within  larger  cemeteries  and 
others  as  stand-alone  cemeteries, 
dedicated  solely  to  Jewish  burials. 
All  Jewish  cemeteries  preserve 
memory  for  survivors  and  remain  an 
important  resource  for  genealogists 
and  for  historians  of  the  local  com- 
munity. 

Historic  Congregations 

Florida  Jewish  pioneers  Philip 
Dzialynski,  Robert  Williams,  and 
Morris  Endel  each  brought  a  Torah 
with  them  when  they  settled  in 
Jacksonville  in  1850,  Tallahassee  in 
1865,  and  Gainesville  in  1865, 
respectively.  This  ensured  that  Jewish 
worship  would  take  place  on  the 
Florida  frontier.  The  Torah  is  a  scroll 
on  which  is  written  the  Five  Books  of 
Moses,  which  constitute  the  first  five 
books  of  the  Hebrew  Bible.  It  is  the 
most  sacred  object  in  Jewish  worship. 

By  1900,  six  Jewish  congregations 
were  chartered  in  Florida.  The  first 
was  Temple  Beth  El,  in  Pensacola, 
founded  in  1876.  Ahavath  Chesed, 
Jacksonville,  1882;  Rodeph  Sholom, 
Key  West,  1887;  United  Hebrews  of 
Ocala,  1888;  Schaarai  Zedek,  Tampa, 
1894;  and  B'nai  Israel,  Pensacola, 
1899,  followed.  All  the  congregations 
still  remain  in  existence,  although  the 
historic  congregation  in  Ocala  is  now 


split  into  two,  and  Key  West's 
congregation  is  now  known  as  B'nai 
Zion. 

A  particular  branch  of  Judaism 
identifies  Jewish  congregations. 
Orthodox  is  the  most  traditional 
branch;  Reform  is  the  most  modern 
while  the  Conservative  branch 
follows  a  middle  path.  Most  congre- 
gations in  Florida-and  all  the  congre- 
gations that  predate  1900-are  based 
upon  Ashkenazic  Judaism,  the 
traditions  that  arose  in  Central  and 
Eastern  Europe.  Several  Florida 
congregations  follow  the  Sephardic 
rituals,  rooted  in  pre-Inquisition 
Spain  and  Portugal.  In  1900,  only  six 
Jewish  congregations  existed  in 
Florida.  One  hundred  years  later, 
more  than  300  Jewish  congregations 
have  been  established  in  the  state, 
and  the  number  is  increasing. 

Retailing 

In  the  19th  and  early  20th  centuries, 
Jewish  merchants  crisscrossed  the 
state  as  itinerant  peddlers.  They  sold 
their  wares  in  small  cities  and 
villages,  sometimes  settling  down  in 
a  new  area  to  open  small  stores. 
There  they  sold  groceries,  clothing, 
footwear,  cigars,  dry  goods,  and 
furniture.  Oftentimes  these  mer- 
chants were  also  skilled  craftsmen. 
Some  Jewish  merchants  were  mobile, 
moving  from  town  to  town  in 
response  to  weather,  disease,  and 
economic  disasters.  Others  remained 
in  one  place  where  their  department 
stores  grew  over  several  generations. 
In  1857,  on  the  heels  of  an 
economic  panic, 
Samuel  Cline 
and  Max 
White 
closed 


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their  St.  Augustine  clothing  store  and 
moved  to  Tampa.  Still  others,  such  as 
the  Maas  brothers  in  Tampa,  the 
Cohen  brothers  in  Jacksonville,  and 
the  Frank  family  in  Clearwater, 
remained  in  one  place  where  their 
department  stores  grew  over  several 
generations. 

Some  of  these  new  merchants  were 
immigrants  who  paved  the  way  for 
their  landsmen  to  join  them,  offering 
jobs  and  monetary  help  to  the  newer 
arrivals.  Merchants  settled  in  areas  in 
North  Florida,  such  as  Live  Oak,  that 
served  as  stop-off  points  for  Jewish 
newcomers  heading  into  Florida 
from  Georgia. 

This  small  sampling  overlooks  the 
countless  others  who  pioneered  as 
Jews  and  as  retailers  in  the  frontier 
communities  throughout  Florida. 
Through  their  courage,  perseverance, 
and  civic  contributions,  they  estab- 
lished the  roots  and  credibility  that 
enabled  others  to  follow. 

Agriculture 

Jewish  Floridians  have  produced  and 
distributed  numerous  types  of  farm 
crops  and  livestock  throughout  the 
state.  From  Key  West  to  Tampa  to 


Quincy  to  Tallahassee,  Florida  Jews 
engaged  in  growing  tobacco  and 
manufacturing  cigars  during  the  19th 
and  20th  centuries.  Charles  and 
Hannah  Peyser  in  Ocala  manufac- 
tured and  marketed  El  Tropico  cigars 
from  1860  through  1920,  while  Max 
Wedeles  owned  one  of  the  largest 
shade  tobacco  farms  and  packing 
houses  in  North  Florida.  Others 
made  their  names  in  various  other 
ventures  such  as  the  Benedict 
pineapple  packing  business  in 
Orlando,  Harry  Rubinstein's  tomato 
farm  in  Dania,  Theodore  and  Ann 
Berman's  dairy  farm  in  Okeechobee 
and  the  Bush  family  egg  farm  in  the 
St.  Petersburg  and  Clearwater  areas. 

Jews  also  enjoyed  considerable 
success  in  the  citrus  and  cattle 
industries.  In  1923,  David  Bilgore 
moved  to  Clearwater  to  establish 
groves  and  open  a  packing  house 
and  cannery.  Bilgore's  son-in-law, 
Jules  Bragin,  joined  the  business  in 
the  1930s  and  later  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  David's  sons,  Morris  and 
Aaron.  Russian  Jewish  immigrant 
Saul  Snyder  settled  in  St.  Augustine 


and  purchased  his  first  cow  in  1912.  By 
the  1950s  he  owned  5,000  head  ranging 
in  St.  Johns,  Putnam,  Hagler,  and  Volusia 
counties.  In  1934  Snyder  was  a  founder 
of  the  Horida  Cattlemen's  Association. 
In  1940,  George  Terry  purchased  600 
acres  of  citrus  groves  near  Orlando. 
Within  ten  years  his  holdings  had 
expanded  to  70,000  acres  and  included 
both  citrus  groves  and  cattle.  Terry  also 
was  instrumental  in  testing  clover  used 
to  fatten  livestock.  In  1939,  brothers 
James,  Seymour,  and  Milton  Heller 
began  Heller  Brothers  Packing  Corpora- 
tion in  Winter  Garden.  Now  into  its  third 
generation,  the  company's  5,000  acres  of 
citrus  groves  extend  as  far  south  as 
Immokalee  in  Collier  County.  The  Haftel 
family  groves  in  Tarpon  Springs, 
founded  in  1953,  are  extensive  and  are 
still  in  operation. 

Today,  the  agricultural  legacy  of  these 
and  many  other  Jews  have  helped  to 
make  Horida  a  leader  in  the  citrus, 
vegetable  and  cattle  industries.  Their 
foresight  into  the  potential  of  this  vast 
frontier  has  forever  affected  the  economy 
of  Horida. 


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Jacksonville  City  Hall,  once  Cohen  Brothers  Department  Store 


Northwest  Florida 


Escambia  County 

Pensacola 

Lewis  Bear  Block 

402-410  South  Palafox  Street  32501- 

5931 

The  Lewis  Bear  Company,  founded 
in  1876,  was  a  wholesale  supplier  of 
groceries,  hardware,  and  liquor 
throughout  the  Florida  Panhandle. 
The  German-born  Lewis  Bear 
employed  Jewish  newcomers  and 
helped  launch  the  careers  of  many 
successful  merchants.  Bear  was  a 
Confederate  Army  veteran  who 
moved  from  Alabama  to  Pensacola 
about  1870.  This  Classical  Revival 
style  building,  with  its  colorful 
balconies,  dates  from  1892. 

Temple  Beth  El  (Reform) 
800  North  Palafox  Street  32501 
(850)  438-3321 

Temple  Beth  El,  founded  in  1876,  was 
the  first  Jewish  congregation  char- 
tered in  Florida.  The  current  syna- 
gogue dates  from  1931.  Inside  is 
located  the  North  Florida  Jewish 


Historical  Experience  Museum,  a 
portion  of  the  MOSAIC  traveling 
exhibit,  which  traces  Jewish  settle- 
ment in  Pensacola  from  the  arrival  of 
Joseph  de  Palacios,  Samuel  Israel, 
and  Alexander  Solomons  in  1763. 
Visitors  can  also  see  the  1896  corner- 
stone from  Beth  El's  former  syna- 
gogue that  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1929. 

Beth  El  Cemetery 
Cervantes  Street  between  Q  and  R 
Streets  (850)  438-3321 
In  1869,  when  Simerall  Goldbach 
donated  land  to  Temple  Beth  El  for  a 
Jewish  cemetery,  Beth  El's  founding 
president  Gerson  Forcheimer  re- 
ceived the  deed.  The  earliest  grave  is 
for  one  of  Goldbach's  children, 
Abraham,  who  died  of  yellow  fever 
in  the  1870s.  In  all,  Goldbach  buried 
five  children  in  this  cemetery.  A 
special  marker  is  dedicated  to 
Goldbach  for  his  contribution  of  "this 
beautiful  spot"  to  the  Jewish  commu- 
nity of  Pensacola. 


B'nai  Israel  Synagogue 
(Conservative) 

1909  North  9th  Avenue  at  Mallory 
32503  (850)  433-7311 
B'nai  Israel  was  the  sixth  Jewish 
congregation  to  be  founded  in 
Florida.  Chartered  in  1899,  B'nai 
Israel  met  in  the  vestry  room  of 
Temple  Beth  El,  then  moved  to  the 
Odd  Fellows  Hall,  which  was  a 
secret  meeting  place  for  the  Ku  Klux 
Klan.  In  1923,  the  congregation 
moved  to  a  synagogue  that  has  since 
been  demolished  at  400  North 
Barcelona  Street.  They  moved  to  their 
current  site  on  North  9th  Avenue  in  1954. 

Miss  Gerty  Goldschmidt's 
Boarding  House 

230  North  Barcelona  Street  32501- 
4804 

Gerty  Goldschmidt  ran  both  a 
boarding  house  and  a  restaurant. 
Located  only  a  block  from  B'nai 
Israel's  former  synagogue,  it  was 
where  the  Jewish  crowd  ate  in  the 
1930s.  Gerty  catered  to  a  citywide 
clientele  and  was  renowned  for  her 
Jewish-style  southern  cooking. 

North  Hill  Preservation  District 

The  North  Hill  Preservation  District 
is  a  National  Register  of  Historic 
Places  District  of  elegant  late  19th- 
century  and  early  20th-century 
houses.  In  the  late  1800s  and  early 
1900s,  many  prominent  Jews  of 
Pensacola  moved  to  this  neighbor- 
hood from  the  area  around  Seville 
Square.  Alex  Lischkoff,  a  founder  of 
B'nai  Israel  Synagogue,  lived  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  Spring  and 
Strong  and  attached  a  permanent 
sukkah  (booth  commemorating  the 
temporary  shelters  of  the  Jews  in  the 
wilderness)  to  his  house  that  is  still 


visible  at  the  corner.  Other  promi- 
nent Jewish  residences  of  North  Hill 
include: 

200  West  Gonzalez  Street;  Mozart 

Lischkoff 

811  North  Spring  Street;  Leopold 

Mayer 

820  South  Barcelona  Street;  Harry 

Kahn 

Progress  Club 

24  West  Chase  Street  32501-5614 

The  Progress  Club,  founded  in  1876 
as  a  Jewish  social  organization,  had 
this  building  constructed  in  1911.  Its 
original  marble  staircase  and  wood- 
work remain.  The  building  was  also 
the  temporary  location  of  Temple 
Beth  El  between  1929,  when  the 
synagogue  burned,  and  1931,  when 
the  congregation  moved  to  a  new 
synagogue.  Worship  services  were 
held  in  the  ballroom. 


Franklin  County 

Apalachicola 

Henry  Brash  House  (The  Porches) 
67  Avenue  D  32320-1793 

Henry  Brash  built  this  yellow  pine 
house  in  1865.  The  porches  were 
added  in  1890.  Brash,  a  Confederate 
soldier,  sponge  fisherman  and  local 
merchant,  and  his  wife  Henrietta 
raised  11  children  in  this  house.  They 
kashered  (ritually  cleansed)  their 
dishes  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  held 
Passover  seder  dinners  on  the  beach. 


Gulf  County 

Port  St.  Joe 

Constitution  Convention  State 
Museum 

200  Allen  Memorial  Way  32456 
(850)  229-8029 

The  large  outdoor  monument  lists 
the  delegates  to  the  1838-1841 
constitutional  convention,  including 
David  Levy  (Yulee).  In  the  museum, 
animated  mannequins  relate  the 
>ry  behind  Florida's  first  constitu- 
>n  and  the  convention  that  met  in 


the  city  of  St.  Joseph,  once  located 
near  here  before  being  destroyed  by 
a  hurricane.  Among  St.  Joseph's 
prominent  residents  was  Raphael 
Jacob  Moses.  A  Charleston-born  fifth- 
generation  American  Jew,  Moses 
moved  to  St.  Joseph  in  1838  to 
become  secretary  of  the  Lake  Wimico 
&  St.  Joseph  Canal  &  Railroad 
Company.  The  museum  has  a  replica 
of  an  engine  from  the  railroad.  Moses 
was  a  Florida  delegate  to  the  1847 
national  Democratic  convention  and 
practiced  law  in  Apalachicola  until 
1849  when  he  moved  to  Georgia. 


Jefferson  Street  is  the  original  office 
of  the  Santa  Clara  Plantation. 

Hillcrest  Cemetery,  Jewish  section 
13th  Street,  2  blocks  off  U.S.  High- 
way 12  (850)  627-7681 
At  one  time,  Jews  who  died  in 
Quincy  were  buried  in  Bainbridge, 
Georgia.  After  the  Jewish  cemetery 
opened  in  1930,  some  of  the  early 
graves  were  moved  to  Quincy.  The 
cemetery  is  maintained  by  the  city. 
From  Quincy,  take  U.S.  Highway  12 
west  to  13th  Street,  turn  right  and 
continue  for  two  blocks. 


Gadsden  County 

Quincy 

In  its  heyday,  Quincy  was  home  to  a 
number  of  prominent  Jewish  tobacco 
growers.  Large  leaf  shade  tobacco 
was  a  profitable  crop  in  Gadsden 
County  in  the  19th  and  20th  centu- 
ries. At  that  time,  shade  tobacco 
leaves  were  used  as  the  outer  wrap- 
pers for  cigars.  By  the  late  1970s, 
however,  cigar  makers  began  substi- 
tuting a  paper-based  product  for  the 
shade  tobacco  leaves.  That,  along 
with  the  overall  decline  in  cigar 
smoking,  eventually  curtailed 
Quincy's  tobacco  production. 

Former  Packing  House 
385  East  Jefferson  Street  (U.S. 
Highway  90)  32351-2531 
This  1890  building  is  one  of  Quincy's 
few  original  tobacco  packing  houses. 
It  was  used  by  many  Jewish-owned 
tobacco  businesses.  The  1890  Victo- 
rian cottage  next  door  at  379  East 


Max  Wedeles  House 

318  East  King  Street  32351-2400 

Max  Wedeles,  who  claimed  to  have 
been  the  largest  independent  pro- 
ducer of  shade  tobacco  in  the  area, 
arrived  in  Quincy  in  1896.  He 
acquired  this  1894  house  for  his 
residence  in  1904  while  serving  on 
the  city  council.  Other  prominent 
Jewish  tobacco  farmers  in  Quincy 
were  Ignatz  Gardner  and  Max 
Wedeles's  son  Joe;  Morris  Scadron 
and  his  son  Ivis;  and  Henry 
Weinberg  and  his  brother-in-law 
Berthold  Ottinger. 

Weinberg  Tobacco  Company 
113  South  Duval  Street  32351 

In  1922,  brothers-in-law  Henry 
Weinberg,  Sr.  and  B.  (Berthold) 
Ottinger  formed  the  Weinberg 
Tobacco  Company  and  constructed 
this  building.  In  1939,  B.  Ottinger 
split  from  Weinberg  and  became  the 
manager  of  the  Swisher  and  Sons 
factory,  owned  by  Jonathan  H. 
Swisher.  The  Weinberg  Tobacco 
Company  operated  until  1970.  A 


four-story  cigar  factory,  known  as  the 
Swisher  Building,  was  constructed  in 
1939  and  is  located  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Porro  and  Crawford 
Streets. 

Leon  County 

Tallahassee 

Florida  Photographic  Collection, 
Florida  State  Archives 
R.  A.  Gray  Building,  1st  Floor,  500 
South  Bronough  Street  32399-0250 
(850)  487-2073 

The  photographic  archive  contains 
the  MOSAIC  Collection,  donated  by 
the  Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH 
MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA  on  Miami 
Beach.  This  collection  consists  of  650 
images  of  Jewish  life  in  Florida  from 
the  1880s  to  the  1960s.  It  can  be 
accessed  through  the  Florida 
Department  of  State  website  at: 
www.dos.state.fl.us/fpc/. 

Jewish  Cemetery 

(Oakland  Cemetery) 

Between  4th  Avenue  and  Brevard 

Street  on  Bronough  Street 

(850)  545-5842 

Leon  County's  second  Jewish 
cemetery  opened  in  1942  in  a  desig- 
nated section  in  Oakland  Cemetery. 
The  first  burial  took  place  on  March 
19,  1943  for  Harry  Mendelson.  Earlier 
Jewish  burials  were  conducted  either 
at  the  Old  City  Cemetery  or  in 
distant  cities.  After  the  purchase  of 
the  254  gravesites,  the  grave  of 
Mervin  H.  Wahnish,  who  died  in 
1914,  was  transferred  from  the  Old 
City  Cemetery  to  the  Wahnish  family 
plot.  Relocated  from  Jacksonville 
were  the  graves  of  infant  Gelberg 
and  Howard  Gelberg  who  had  died 
in  1918.  By  the  1970s,  Tallahassee's 
Jewish  community  had  outgrown 
this  cemetery,  necessitating  land 
purchases  for  Jewish  burial  sections 
in  several  other  cemeteries. 


- 


The  Williams  and 
Diamond  Families 


Robert  Williams  and  his  bride, 
Helena  Dzialynski,  came  to  Florida 
during  the  early  1850s.  Robert 
settled  in  Jasper  in  1854  and 
Helena  moved  with  her  family  to 
Jacksonville  around  1850.  In  1865, 
immediately  after  the  Civil  War, 
the  Williams  family  moved  from 
Jasper  to  Tallahassee.  There,  Robert 
bought  a  store,  became  a  cotton 
planter,  and  was  active  in  civic 
affairs.  Williams  is  also  remem- 
bered for  installing  the  first  street 
lights  in  the  capital  city.  He  often 
led  prayers  on  Jewish  holidays  in 
Tallahassee  and  provided  the  Torah 
for  worship  services.  Today,  Robert 
Williams'  Torah  is  in  the  Ark  at 
Temple  Israel. 

Helena  Williams  bore  five  daugh- 
ters, each  of  whom  found  a  Jewish 
husband.  Rachel,  the  eldest, 
married  Jacob  Raphael  Cohen,  an 
Orlando  councilman  who  had 
signed  that  city's  charter.  They 
were  married  in  1877  by  a  rabbi 
who  traveled  to  Tallahassee  from 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  to 
perform  the  ceremony.  Cohen 
became  a  councilman  in  Tallahas- 
see. Ida,  the  second  daughter, 
married  Cohen's  brother,  Maurice. 
Zipporah,  the  third  daughter, 
married  Charles  Apte.  Wilhamena 
(Mena),  the  fourth  daughter, 
became  the  first  Miss  Florida  in 
1885.  When  Governor  Edward  A. 
Perry  was  inaugurated  in  that  year, 
Mena  led  a  procession  of  young 
women  and  carried  a  flag  made  of 
Tallahassee  spun  silk.  Mena 
married  Julius  Hirschberg,  who 
was  one  of  the  principals  in  the  El 
Provedo  cigar  manufacturing 
company. 


Miss  Ruby  Diamond 

Henrietta,  the  fifth  daughter, 
married  Tallahassee  merchant  and 
cotton  planter  Julius  Diamond  in 
1879.  Diamond  (1853-1914) 
emigrated  from  Prussia  to  the 
United  States  in  1866  and  to 
Tallahassee  in  1870.  Diamond 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Leon 
County  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners from  1889  to  1899.  He  was 
known  to  have  distributed  seed 
and  fertilizer  to  the  poor. 
Henrietta  and  Julius  Diamond  had 
two  children  -  Sydney,  born  in 
1883,  and  Ruby,  born  in  1886. 
Sydney  became  a  lawyer,  and  Miss 
Ruby,  as  she  came  to  be  known, 
was  a  symbolic  link  for  the  Jews  of 
Tallahassee  with  their  com- 
munity's beginnings.  Miss  Ruby 
lived  in  Tallahassee  throughout 
her  life.  In  1905,  she  earned  a  B.A. 
degree  in  chemistry  from  the 
Florida  Female  College  (now 
Florida  State  University).  Later 
she  made  significant  contributions 
to  her  alma  mater.  She  died  in  1982. 


Governor 
David  Sholtz 


Governor  David  Sholtz  (1891- 
1953)  served  as  Florida's  only 
Jewish  governor.  The  son  of 
Jewish  immigrants  who  settled  in 
Daytona  Beach  in  1915,  Sholtz 
was  inaugurated  as  Florida's 
26th  governor  on  January  3,  1933. 
Governor  Sholtz's  radio  broad- 
cast at  this  inauguration  was  a 
state  first.  A  graduate  of  Stetson 
Law  School,  Sholtz  served  in  the 
state  legislature  before  his 
gubernatorial  election.  Often 
called  the  New  Deal  Governor  of 
Florida,  Sholtz's  term  coincided 
with  President  Franklin  D. 
Roosevelt's  first.  Sholtz,  who 
considered  education  a  high 
priority,  issued  free  textbooks  to 
schools  and  increased  school 
appropriations.  His  term  ended 
in  1937. 


Robert  Manning  Strozier  Library, 
Rare  Book  Room,  Special  Collec- 
tions, Facing  Landis  Green,  Florida 
State  University  32306-2047 
(850)  644-3271 

The  Ruby  Diamond  Collection  of 
manuscripts,  photos,  and  printed 
materials  consists  of  3,755  pieces, 
dating  back  to  1886.  Miss  Ruby,  as 
she  was  known,  was  the  grand- 
daughter of  Tallahassee  pioneers 
Robert  and  Helena  Williams.  Many 
of  the  papers  in  the  collection  relate 
to  her  father,  Julius  Diamond, 
businessman  and  chairman  of  the 
Leon  County  Board  of  County 
Commissioners  throughout  the 
1890s,  and  her  brother,  Sydney,  a 
lawyer.  The  collection  also  includes 
major  political  addresses  of  the  time 
and  a  copy  of  the  birth  certificate  of 
David  Sholtz,  Florida's  only  Jewish 
governor. 

Temple  Israel  (Reform) 
2215  Mahan  Drive  32308-6187 
(850)  877-3517 

Tallahassee's  oldest  Jewish  congrega- 
tion was  founded  in  1937.  The  holy 
ark  contains  the  Torah  scroll  that 
belonged  to  Robert  Williams,  who 
settled  in  Tallahassee  in  1865.  The 
congregation  displays  the  silver 


Sabbath  candlesticks  and  other 
Jewish  artifacts  that  belonged  to  his 
granddaughter,  Miss  Ruby  Diamond. 
Also  at  the  synagogue  are  oral 
histories  and  archives  of  the  local 
Jewish  community.  The  cornerstone 
of  this  synagogue  bears  the  Masonic 
emblem  that  attests  to  a  long  friend- 
ship between  the  two  groups. 

Alfred  Wahnish  Tobacco 
Warehouse  &  Cigar  Factory 
469  St.  Francis  Street  32301-2228 
Alfred  Wahnish  was  a  Moroccan  Jew 
who  first  moved  to  Pensacola,  then 
settled  in  Tallahassee  in  the  1880s.  He 
was  a  prominent  shade  tobacco 
grower  and  owned  a  3,600-acre 
plantation.  In  1907  he  built  this  two- 
story  brick  building  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  St.  Francis  and  South 
Macomb  Streets  as  the  first  structure 
of  his  three-building  Wahnish 
Tobacco  Warehouse  &  Cigar  Factory. 
To  the  south  are  the  other  two 
buildings,  constructed  in  1908  and 
1925-30.  Alfred's  son,  Sam  A. 
Wahnish,  was  mayor  of  Tallahassee 
from  1939  to  1941. 


s 


Jefferson  County 

MONTICELLO 

Simon  House 

625  East  Washington  Street  (US  90) 

32344-2546  (850)  997-1376 

Today  a  bed  and  breakfast  and 
private  residence,  this  Classical 
Revival  style  house  was  built  in  1888 
by  Abraham  and  Rachel  Simon.  Abe 
Simon  owned  a  general  store  and 
turpentine  business  in  town.  He  also 
manufactured  and  distributed  patent 
medicines  under  the  name  of 
Calmetto  Company  The  large  fluted 
columns  were  added  around  1905. 
They  were  brought  to  Monticello 
from  Georgia  on  a  railroad  flatbed 
and  then  transported  by  oxen  to  the 
home.  Inside,  the  sun  porch  is  con- 
structed of  magnolia  wood  paneling 
from  Jefferson  County. 

Suwannee  County 

Live  Oak 

Howard  Street  Merchants 
Howard  Street,  1st  and  2nd  Streets, 
west  of  Highway  129 

Live  Oak  was  a  stopping-off  point 
for  Jews  moving  into  Florida  from 
Georgia.  Some  remained  and  opened 
retail  stores  on  Howard  Street. 


Several  of  the  stores  are  standing, 
including  the  Gibbs  Store,  the  Fleet 
Store,  and  the  Gilmore  Store.  These 
and  other  Jewish  families  in  town- 
the  Mendelsons,  Rubensteins,  and 
Weisses-hired  a  shochet,  a  ritual 
slaughterer,  to  come  to  Live  Oak  to 
provide  them  with  kosher  meat  and 
to  teach  their  children  Hebrew. 


Levy  County 

Cedar  Key 

Cedar  Key  Historical  Society 

Museum 

Highway  24  at  2nd  Street  32625 

(352)  543-5549 

Cedar  Key  State  Museum 
12231  Southwest  166th  Court 
32625-6200  (352)  543-5350 

Levy  County  was  named  for  David 
Levy  Yulee,  Florida's  first  senator 
and  builder  of  the  first  cross-state 
railroad.  Yulee's  railroad  began  in 
Fernandina  Beach  and  reached  its 
terminus  in  Cedar  Key  in  1861.  It 
provided  a  means  for  carrying  the 
region's  lumber  and  its  manufac- 
tured by-products  of  turpentine, 
brooms,  and  pencils  across  Florida. 


Visit  Cedar  Key's  two  museums  to 
learn  about  the  history  of  Cedar  Key, 
view  photographs  of  the  railroad, 
and  research  information  about 
Yulee.  A  state  marker  in  the  city  park 
at  the  east  end  of  2nd  Street  near  the 
Historical  Society  Museum  tells  the 
story  of  Yulee  and  his  railroad. 

The  Island  Hotel 

224  2nd  Street  32625-5114 

(352)  543-5111  or  (800)  432-4640 

In  1915,  Simon  Feinberg  bought  the 
Parsons  and  Hale  General  Store, 
which  dated  back  to  1859.  Feinberg 
renovated  the  building  and  renamed 
it  the  Bay  Hotel.  In  1919,  Feinberg 
made  a  routine  visit  to  his  hotel  and 
discovered  a  still  in  the  attic.  Dis- 
mayed at  the  disregard  for  Prohibi- 
tion, he  confronted  the  manager,  who 
agreed  to  remove  the  still,  but 
insisted  Feinberg  stay  for  lunch. 
After  lunch,  Feinberg  became 
drowsy  and  entered  a  guestroom 
where  he  fell  into  a  deep  sleep.  He 
never  awoke.  Although  suspicions 
were  aroused,  the  mystery  of 
Feinberg' s  death  was  never  solved. 
Hotel  lore  claims  friendly  sightings 
of  Feinberg' s  ghost. 


Northeast  Florida 


David  Levy  Yulee 


David  Levy  Yulee  was  Florida's 
first  United  States  Senator  and  the 
builder  of  Florida's  first  cross-state 
railroad.  He  was  born  David  Levy 
in  1810  on  St.  Thomas,  British  West 
Indies  to  Moses  Elias  and  Hannah 
Abendanone  Levy.  He  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  1836  and  later 
helped  lead  Florida  into  statehood, 
first  as  a  delegate  to  the  state 
constitutional  convention  in  1838 
and  then  as  territorial  delegate  to 
Congress  from  1841  to  1845.  David 
Levy  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate  in  1845,  becoming  the 
nation's  first  Jewish  senator.  The 
next  year  he  added  the  name  of  his 
father's  Sephardic  ancestry,  Yulee. 
Yulee  operated  sugar  plantations 
on  the  Homosassa  River  and  in 
Alachua  County.  A  resident  of 
Fernandina,  his  railroad  in  the 
1850s  linked  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
coasts.  When  the  Civil  War  broke 
out  in  1861,  Yulee  resigned  from 
the  Senate  and  served  in  the 
Confederate  Congress.  Yulee  was 
briefly  imprisoned  by  the  Union, 
and  following  his  release  he  rebuilt 
his  railroad,  which  had  been 
destroyed  during  the  war.  Yulee 
moved  to  Washington,  D.C.,  in 
1880.  He  died  six  years  later  and  is 
buried  there.  Levy  County  and  the 
town  of  Yulee  (Nassau  County)  are 
among  the  Florida  places  named 
for  him. 


Nassau  County 

Fernandina  Beach 

Amelia  Island  Museum  of  History 
233  South  Third  Street  32034 
(904)  261-7378 

The  museum  features  reference 
materials  relating  to  Yulee's  business 
and  personal  life. 

Nassau  County  Courthouse 
Centre  Street  at  5th  Street  32034 
(904)  321-5782 

This  Georgian  Revival  style  court- 
house with  Italianate  features  was 
constructed  in  1892.  Herbert  William 
Fishier  worked  at  the  courthouse  and 
served  as  Fernandina  Beach's  city 
attorney  for  about  two  decades.  He 
had  the  longest  recorded  legal 
practice  of  any  attorney  in 
Fernandina  Beach  and  is  thought  to 
have  been  the  only  Jewish  lawyer 
practicing  in  the  county.  He  was  also 
largely  responsible  for  the  first 
bridge  (1942)  to  span  the  Intercoastal 
Waterway  at  Nassau  Sound,  thereby 
linking  Nassau  and  Duval  counties. 
In  recognition  of  his  efforts,  the 
bridge  was  renamed  for  him  follow- 
ing his  death  in  1984.  The  original 
bridge,  recently  replaced,  has  been 
relocated  to  the  Amelia  Island 
Recreational  State  Park  where  it  is  a 
"no-traffic"  fishing  bridge. 

Yulee 

The  unincorporated  town  of  Yulee  is 
named  for  Florida's  first  senator, 
David  Levy  Yulee  and  was  on  the 
route  of  his  Florida  railroad.  Some  of 
the  abandoned  railbed  from  that 
period  is  still  visible  between  the 
towns  of  Yulee  and  Callahan  while 
the  original  railbed  from  Callahan 
south  to  Archer  is  still  in  use. 


Duval  County 

Jacksonville 

Old  City  Cemetery 
Washington  and  Union  Streets 
32206 

Resident  Moses  Serfarty  died  in  1857 
and  was  buried  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina  because  Jacksonville  had  no 
Jewish  cemetery.  Subsequently, 
Jacksonville  Jews  organized  the 
Hebrew  Benevolent  Society  and 
acquired  what  became  the  first 
cemetery  designated  for  Jewish 
burial  in  Florida.  Among  the  earliest 
burials  were  six  victims  of  yellow 
fever  in  1857  that  included  the 
Dzialynski  family  patriarch, 
Abraham,  and  two  of  his  sons.  Seven 
Confederate  veterans  are  buried  here. 


£ 


Cohen  Brothers  Store,  St.  James 
Building  (Jacksonville  City  Hall) 
117  West  Duval  Street  32202-3705 
(904)  630-1377 

Occupying  the  entire  block,  the  St. 
James  Building  has  been  a  Jackson- 
ville landmark  since  its  completion 
in  1912.  The  Cohen  brothers,  who 
commissioned  the  construction  of  the 
building,  hired  renowned  Jackson- 
ville architect  Henry  John  Klutho  to 
design  and  supervise  the  construc- 
tion of  this  mammoth  building.  The 
building  takes  its  name  from  the 
famous  St.  James  Hotel  that  occupied 
the  site  until  it  was  destroyed  by  the 
1901  fire  that  destroyed  much  of 
downtown  Jacksonville.  The  store 
occupied  the  first  two  floors  with 
offices  on  the  top  two  floors,  includ- 
ing the  new  offices  of  Klutho  himself. 
At  one  time  it  was  the  largest  depart- 
ment store  in  the  South  and  the  ninth 
largest  in  the  United  States.  The 
building  has  been  rehabilitated  and 
now  serves  as  the  Jacksonville  City 
Hall.  The  four  Cohen  brothers, 
Samuel,  Morris,  Julius,  and  Jacob, 
came  to  Jacksonville  in  1867  and 
founded  the  Cohen  Brothers  Com- 
pany in  1870.  The  company  was  in 
business  until  the  1980s. 


Florida  Theatre  (a  performing  arts 
center)  128  East  Forsyth  Street 
32202  (904)  355-5661 

Seven  stories  tall,  the  Mediterranean 
Revival  style  Florida  Theatre  was 
considered  the  finest  theater  in 
Jacksonville  when  it  opened  in  1927. 
Roy  A.  Benjamin,  co-architect, 
figured  prominently  in  the  rebuild- 
ing of  Jacksonville  after  the  fire  of 
1901.  Benjamin  designed  both 
commercial  and  residential  buildings 
in  a  variety  of  architectural  styles. 
Some  of  his  Jacksonville  designs 
include  the  Arcade  Theatre,  the  Park 
Lane  Apartments,  the  San  Mateo 
Theatre  and  the  Leon  Cheek  resi- 
dence. He  also  designed  numerous 
buildings  throughout  the  state 
including  dozens  of  theaters  and 
served  on  the  national  board  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Architects  as  a 
theater  specialist. 

Jacksonville  Jewish  Center 

(Conservative) 

205  West  3rd  Street  32206-4910 

(904)  292-1000 

Roy  Benjamin  designed  this  building 
in  1927  for  the  Jacksonville  Jewish 
Center,  founded  in  1901  as  the  B'nai 
Israel  Orthodox  Congregation.  The 
congregation  wanted  the  building  to 
be  both  a  house  of  prayer  and  a 


The  Dzialynski 
Family 


The  Dzialynski  family  is  one  of 
the  oldest  Jewish  families  in 
Florida.  They  emigrated  to 
Jacksonville  from  Poland  via 
New  York  City  in  the  1850s.  The 
family  included  brothers  Phillip 
and  Morris  and  their  parents. 
Phillip  married  Ida  Ehrlick  in 
1856  and  their  son  George,  born 
in  1857,  is  believed  to  be  the  first 
Jewish  male  born  in  Florida. 
Phillip's  family  moved  to  Madi- 
son in  1860  where  he  operated  a 
general  store.  Upon  the  death  of 
Ida  in  1864,  Phillip  moved  to 
Savannah,  Georgia,  where  he 
married  Mary  Cohen,  sister  of 
Jacob  Raphael  Cohen  of  Orlando 
and  Tallahassee.  The  family 
returned  to  Florida  where  they 
operated  stores  in  Palatka, 
Bartow,  Orlando  and  Fort  Meade. 
They  returned  to  Bartow  in  1889 
and  operated  the  Orange  Grove 
Hotel  before  returning  to  Jack- 
sonville in  1895.  Phillip  died  the 
following  year.  Their  daughter, 
Gertrude,  became  the  first 
woman  faculty  member  of  East 
Florida  Seminary,  one  of 
Florida's  first  women  lawyers 
and  helped  found  the  League  of 
Women  Voters  of  Florida.  Un- 
able to  find  work  as  a  lawyer, 
Gertrude  served  as  secretary  to 
Governor  Napoleon  Bonaparte 
Broward. 

Phillip's  brother  Morris  settled  in 
Jacksonville,  married  Rosa  Slager 
and  fathered  one  daughter, 
Rosalie.  He  served  as  both 
mayor  (1881-83),  was  founding 
president  of  the  state's  second 
congregation  in  1882,  and  served 
as  municipal  judge  before  his 
death  in  1907. 


11 


£ 


(The  Wolfson 
Family 

Morris  and  Sarah  Wolfson  of 
Jacksonville  instilled  in  their 
children  and  grandchildren  the 
Jewish  obligation  of  tzedaka-to 
better  the  world  by  helping  the 
less  fortunate.  Morris  Wolfson 
was  born  in  1879  in  Lithuania, 
and  at  17,  he  emigrated  to  Balti- 
more where  he  met  and  married 
Sarah  Goldberg  (born  in  Balti- 
more, 1889).  He  moved  his  family 
first  to  St.  Louis  and  then  to 
Jacksonville.  Sarah  bore  nine 
children,  eight  of  whom  survived 
to  adulthood.  Wolfson  became  a 
scrap  dealer  and  accumulated 
great  wealth.  The  family  enriched 
the  Jacksonville  community  in 
many  ways,  giving  extensively  to 
River  Garden,  Florida's  oldest 
Jewish  home  for  the  aged.  Today 
the  Wolfson  Health  and  Aging 
Center  is  part  of  River  Garden. 
The  five  Wolfson  sons  were 
known  for  their  athletic  abilities 
and  interests.  Samuel,  the  eldest 
son  (1909-1963)  brought  AAA 
baseball  to  town  and  broke  the 
color  barrier  by  hiring  Hank 
Aaron.  Wolfson  High  School  and 
Wolfson  Baseball  Park,  part  of  the 
Jacksonville  Sports  Center,  were 
named  for  him.  Louis,  the  second 
son,  and  his  wife,  Patrice,  owned 
and  bred  the  racehorse  Affirmed 
at  their  Harbor  View  Farm  in 
Ocala.  Affirmed  won  thorough- 
bred racing's  Triple  Crown  in 
1978,  a  first  for  Florida.  Morris 
Wolfson  gave  the  city  of  Jackson- 
ville a  children's  hospital  as  a  way 
of  expressing  his  gratitude  for  the 
many  blessings  of  his  life. 
Wolfson  Children's  Hospital,  now 
part  of  Baptist/St.  Vincent's 
Health  System,  is  a  major  medical 
facility.  It  was  named  in  memory 
of  son  Louis'  first  wife,  the  late 
Florence  Monsky  Wolfson. 


social  center.  A  synagogue  was 
housed  upstairs  and  a  meeting  room 
and  a  basketball  court  were  built 
below.  An  activities  building  was 
added  in  1951.  The  congregation 
used  this  building  until  1976.  Today 
the  Jewish  Center  is  the  largest 
Jewish  congregation  in  Jacksonville. 

Ahavath  Chesed  and  B'nai  Israel 
Cemeteries 

Gate  5,  Evergreen  Cemetery,  4535 
North  Main  Street  32206-1435 
(904)  353-3649 

Because  the  Jewish  section  at  the  Old 
City  Cemetery  was  running  out  of 
space  in  1890,  the  synagogue  ac- 
quired three  acres  adjoining  Ever- 
green Cemetery  for  Jewish  burial.  A 
makeshift  fence  was  placed  around 
the  cemetery  to  set  it  apart  from  non- 
Jewish  graves — a  traditional  Jewish 
practice.  On  April  16,  1890,  Morris 
Cohen,  a  child,  became  the  first 
person  buried  in  the  new  Hebrew 
Cemetery.  Ahavath  Chesed  later 
released  part  of  this  cemetery  to 
B'nai  Israel,  the  historic  Orthodox 
congregation  founded  in  1901,  now 
the  Jacksonville  Jewish  Center. 

River  Garden  Hebrew  Home/ 
Wolfson  Health  and  Aging  Center 
11401  Old  St.  Augustine  Road  32258 
(904)  260-1818 

This  is  the  current  home  of  River 
Garden,  the  oldest  Jewish  home  for 
the  aged  in  Florida.  It  was  founded 
through  the  efforts  of  a  women's 
organization  that  began  as  the 
Pushaloter  Society  Ladies  Auxiliary 


in  the  LaVilla  Neighborhood.  The 
Pushaloter  Relief  Society  (for  men) 
was  founded  in  1911  by  immigrants 
from  Pusalotas,  Lithuania.  Through 
the  years  the  Ladies  Auxiliary 
evolved  into  the  Ladies  Hebrew 
Sheltering  &  Aid  Society  and,  today, 
the  River  Garden  Auxiliary.  The 
women  fulfilled  their  dream  to 
establish  a  "Hebrew  Home  for  the 
Aged"  in  Jacksonville.  In  1946,  River 
Garden  Home  opened  in  a  converted 
mansion  at  the  corner  of  Riverside 
and  Stockton  Streets. 

Workmen's  Circle  Branch  #441 
762  West  Duval  Street  32202-4824 

The  Workmen's  Circle  was  an 
international  fraternal  organization 
that  recognized  Yiddish  as  a  lan- 
guage, assisted  in  the  formation  of 
unions,  and  sponsored  a  system  of 
Yiddish-based,  Jewish  schools.  Its 
members  tended  to  be  intellectuals, 
political  activists,  Socialists,  and 
espoused  no  religious  beliefs.  In  1910 
the  Workmen's  Circle  opened  its 
Labor  Lyceum  as  a  center  for  its 
meetings,  classes,  and  other  activities. 

LaVilla  Neighborhood 

LaVilla,  a  blue-collar,  low-income 
neighborhood,  was  the  area  of  first 
settlement  for  Eastern  European 
Jewish  immigrants  to  Jacksonville, 
from  around  1890  to  after  World  War 
I.  The  historic  boundaries  of  this 
neighborhood  were  Bay  Street  to 
Beaver  Street,  Myrtle  Avenue  to  Pearl 
Street.  Jews  lived  mainly  on  Adams, 
Monroe,  Duval,  and  Church  Streets 


12 


£ 


and  had  their  businesses  on  Adams, 
Broad,  and  Davis  Streets.  At  the 
northwest  corner  of  Jefferson  and 
Duval,  across  from  the  YMHA,  stood 
the  Orthodox  synagogue,  B'nai 
Israel,  founded  in  1901. 

Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association 
712  West  Duval  32202-4824 
(904)  356-9098 

The  YMHA  was  the  center  of  com- 
munal activity  for  the  Jews  of  the 
La  Villa  Neighborhood.  Built  in  1914, 
the  YMHA  consisted  of  an  office,  a 
small  meeting  room,  an  auditorium, 
a  balcony,  and  showers  and  lockers 
in  the  basement.  At  the  northwest 
corner  of  Jefferson  and  Duval,  across 
from  the  YMHA,  stood  the  original 
B'nai  Israel  synagogue.  This  masonry 
vernacular  building  has  been  re- 
stored and  is  now  the  Maceo  Elks 
Lodge. 

St.  Johns  County 

St.  Augustine 

Congregation  Sons  of  Israel 

(Conservative) 

161  Cordova  Street  32084-5021 

(904)  829-9532 

This  congregation  was  founded  in 
1908  and  the  synagogue  was  dedi- 
cated in  1923.  For  decades  before 
that,  the  Jews  of  St.  Augustine  and 
Fernandina  Beach  met  in  homes  for 
religious  worship.  The  synagogue 
was  built  in  1923  using  stained  glass 
windows  from  a  100-year-old  Atlanta 
synagogue. 

Congregation  Sons  of  Israel 
Cemetery 

113  Evergreen  Avenue  32084 
(904)  829-9532 

The  oldest  unmarked  grave  in  this 
cemetery  is  that  of  a  Jewish  peddler 
killed  by  Indians  in  1840.  His  grave, 
supposedly  beneath  a  large  tree,  was 
the  reason  why  the  surrounding  land 
was  designated  a  Jewish  cemetery  in 
1911.  The  1926  Jacksonville  Jewish 
Year  Book  actually  described  the 
missing  tombstone  as  having  a 
Hebrew  epitaph,  "Here  rests 


Gershom  ben  Yosef  who  was  killed 
by  the  Indians  in  5601  (1840)."  Today, 
the  oldest  marked  grave  is  from  1911, 
belonging  to  Abe  Schneider,  who  was 
murdered  along  with  the  sheriff  who 
deputized  him,  when  they  attempted  to 
transport  an  escaped  convict. 

Alachua  County 

Archer 

Train  Depot,  Archer  Community 
Museum,  Archer  Historical  Society 
Magnolia  and  Main  32618 
(352)  495-1044 

Archer  celebrates  the  second  Satur- 
day of  each  June  as  David  Levy  Yulee 
Day  in  honor  of  the  June  12, 1810, 
birthdate  of  Florida's  first  senator. 
Yulee  named  the  town  in  1855  to 
honor  his  friend,  James  T.  Archer, 
Florida's  first  secretary  of  state.  The 
central  section  of  the  depot  dates 
from  about  1860,  when  Yulee' s 
railroad  stopped  in  Archer  on  its 
cross-state  route.  The  museum 
features  an  audiotaped  reenactment 
of  Yulee's  last  slave,  Dolly  Nattiel.  A 
historical  marker  on  David  Levy 
Yulee  is  located  on  the  site. 

Cottonwood  Plantation 
East  Archer,  contact  the  Archer 
Historical  Society  (352)  495-1044 
David  Levy  Yulee  lived  here  during 
the  Civil  War.  With  Union  troops 
approaching  Fernandina,  Yulee 
boarded  the  last  train  out  and 
escaped  to  Cottonwood.  Legend  has 


it  that  part  of  the  Confederate 
treasury,  about  $25,000,  was  briefly 
hidden  here.  The  Kirby-Smith 
Chapter  202  of  the  United  Daughters 
of  the  Confederacy  erected  a  histori- 
cal marker  at  the  site  in  1939  and  it 
was  rededicated  on  David  Levy 
Yulee  Day  in  1999. 

GAINESVILLE 
Gainesville  Walking  Tour 

Several  buildings  in  Gainesville's 
historic  district  were  Jewish  owned 
or  operated.  They  include: 

Endel  Brothers  General  Department 
Store  -  NW  corner  of  University 
Avenue  and  Main  Street,  Marcus 
Endel,  owner; 

B'nai  Israel  (First)  Synagogue  -  NE 
corner  of  SW  2nd  Place  and  SW  2nd 
Terrace; 

Buns  Shul,  18  SW  2nd  Avenue, 
Abraham  Buns,  owner; 
Commercial  Hotel  -  240  South  Main 
Street,  Mary  Cohen  Dzialynski, 
manager  1896-1902; 
B'nai  Israel  Congregation 
(Conservative)  -  3830  Northwest 
16th  Boulevard  32605  (352)  376-1508 
This  is  the  congregation's  third  and 
present  location.  Located  inside  is  the 
Torah  scroll  that  Moses  Endel  carried 
to  Gainesville  in  1865.  A  marble  stone 
is  embedded  in  the  exterior  facade 
that  was  engraved  in  the  1920s  with 
the  names  of  the  nine  founding 
families. 


The  Benjamin  Family 


The  Benjamin  family  made  many 
civic,  mercantile,  and  architectural 
contributions  to  Florida.  Simon 
Benjamin  was  one  of  the  first 
members  of  this  family  to  arrive  in 
Florida.  Born  in  1850  in  the  Prus- 
sian province  of  Posen,  Simon 
immigrated  to  Florida  at  the  age  of 
17.  He  came  to  Alachua  County  to 
establish  a  business  in  the  village  of 
Waldo.  As  he  journeyed  to  Waldo, 
his  cousin,  S.H.  Benjamin  met  him 
at  a  railroad  stop,  a  dry  goods 
merchant  already  established  in 
Micanopy.  Simon  stayed  in  Waldo 
for  three  years  and  then  moved  to 
Ocala,  where  his  brother,  Solomon, 
joined  him.  In  1884  Simon  opened 
the  East  Florida  Ice  Manufacturing 
Company,  which  was  said  to  be  the 
first  ice-making  plant  in  Florida.  In 
1892,  Simon  and  Solomon  formed 
the  Silver  Springs  and  Ocala  Gulf 
Railroad,  running  from  Ocala  to 
Dunnellon  and  Homosassa.  In  that 
year  Solomon  served  as  president 
of  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners. In  1896  Simon  was  elected 
to  the  Ocala  City  Council.  He  also 
served  as  president  of  the  Jewish 
congregation  in  Ocala.  He  moved 
to  Jacksonville  where  he  died  in 
1931  at  the  age  of  81.  Roy  Benjamin 
(1887-1963),  Simon's  son,  became 


an  architect  who  was  acclaimed  for 
his  theater  designs.  Roy  appren- 
ticed in  New  York  and  Albany, 
Georgia,  before  moving  to  Jackson- 
ville. He  designed  dozens  of 
theaters  in  Florida  and  elsewhere 
in  the  South  and  served  on  the 
national  board  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Architects  as  a  theater 
specialist.  His  Florida  Theatre 
(Jacksonville),  Jacksonville  Jewish 
Center,  Marble  Arcade  (Lakeland), 
and  Edwards  Theater  (Sarasota)  are 
on  the  Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail. 
S.H.  Benjamin,  who  had  greeted  his 
cousin  Simon  in  1867,  came  to 
Micanopy  circa  1860.  In  1885  he 
built  the  Benjamin  Building,  and  in 
1886  his  daughter,  Rosa,  married 
his  business  partner,  Jacob  Katz,  at 
a  much-feted  wedding.  S.  H. 
commissioned  the  Florida  Southern 
Railroad  to  stop  in  Micanopy  to 
take  the  wedding  party  and  guests 
to  Jacksonville  as  part  of  the 
festivities.  S.H.  and  Jacob  Katz 
continued  in  business  together 
until  1901,  when  S.H.  moved  out  of 
state.  S.H.  died  in  New  York  State 
circa  1905. 


Masonic  Temple 

215  North  Main  Street  32601-5319 
(352)  372-9350 

As  in  many  communities  across 
Florida,  there  are  strong  ties  between 
Gainesville's  Jewish  and  Freemason 
communities.  In  Gainesville,  Jewish 
High  Holiday  services  were  held  at 
the  Masonic  Temple  in  the  late  19th 
and  early  20th  centuries.  Marcus  Endel 
served  as  Grand  Master  of  Horida's 
Grand  Lodge  of  Masons  in  1893. 

Jewish  Cemetery 

East  University  Avenue  and 

Waldo  Road 

This  small  cemetery,  founded  in  1871 
and  dedicated  in  1872,  is  still  in  use. 
Gravesites  at  this  cemetery  include 
Gainesville  Jewish  pioneer,  Moses 
Endel  and  his  son,  Marcus. 

Matheson  Historical  Center 
513  East  University  Avenue 
32601-5451  (352)  378-2280 
Housed  in  a  1932  American  Legion 
building,  this  history  museum  and 
historic  research  library  features 
archives  of  the  Gainesville  Jewish 
community.  Included  are  historic 
materials  on  the  Endel  family,  Joseph 
Weil,  and  David  Levy  Yulee.  The 
collection  also  has  minutes  of  the 
Daughters  of  Israel  from  the  1930s  and 
1940s,  photographs  and  records  of  B'nai 
Israel  Congregation,  and  Jewish  commu- 
nity yearbooks  and  directories. 

University  of  Florida  Sites 

Hillel  Foundation 
16  Northwest  18th  Street  32603-1835 
(352)  372-2900 

Hillel  Houses  provide  a  focus  for 
Jewish  social,  cultural,  and  religious 
life  on  campuses  throughout  the 
nation.  Founded  in  1937  as  the  first 
Hillel  in  Florida,  the  present  building 
was  dedicated  in  1952.  This  Hillel 
became  a  center  not  only  for  Jewish 
students  but  also  for  Jewish  faculty 
and  for  the  community  at  large.  B'nai 
Israel  Congregation,  which  had 
outgrown  its  small  synagogue,  used 
this  building  for  religious  school 
classes  and  other  activities.  The 
family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham 
Buns,  who  operated  the  Buns  Shul 


14 


^: 


Moses  Elias  Levy 


synagogue  during  the  1920s  and 
1930s,  donated  the  Torah  scroll  at 
Hillel. 

Isser  and  Rae  Price  Library  of 
Judaica  1504  Norman  Hall  32611 
(352)  392-0308 

With  its  more  than  60,000  titles,  the 
Isser  and  Rae  Price  Library  of  Judaica 
is  the  largest  in  the  Southeast, 
concentrating  on  the  political,  social, 
economic  and  intellectual  history  of 
Jewish  culture  in  all  historical 
periods.  At  the  time  of  its  acquisition 
in  1977,  the  Price  Library  was  the 
largest  private  library  of  Judaica  and 
Hebraica  in  the  United  States. 
Dedicated  on  March  8, 1981,  the 
library's  core  collection  is  formed  by 
the  Rabbi  Leonard  C.  Mishkin 
Library.  The  library  is  named  in 
honor  of  a  Jacksonville  family  active 
in  Jewish  community  life. 

George  Smathers  Library,  Depart- 
ment of  Special  Collections 
University  of  Florida  (352)  392-6547 
This  library  includes  the  David  Levy 
Yulee  Papers;  the  Machal  Archives 
which  documents  American  volun- 
teers in  Israel's  1948  War  of  Indepen- 
dence; and  the  Samuel  Proctor  Oral 
History  Program  which  includes 
taped  interviews  with  many  Jewish 
Floridians. 

Tau  Epsilon  Pi  Fraternity 

1105  West  University  Avenue  32601- 

5385  (352)  376-4446 

The  fraternity,  founded  in  February 

1925,  was  one  of  the  first  two  Jewish 


fraternities  at  the  University  of 
Florida.  Jews  founded  their  own 
Greek  societies  because  they  were 
generally  excluded  from  member- 
ship in  gentile  fraternities  and 
sororities.  It  is  now  the  office  of  the 
Independent  Florida  Alligator,  the 
University  of  Florida's  student 
newspaper. 

Joseph  Weil  Hall 
Stadium  Road 

This  hall  was  renamed  to  honor  the 
late  dean  of  the  College  of  Engineer- 
ing whose  office  was  located  in  the 
building.  Weil  was  a  leader  of  the 
local  Jewish  community  and  the  first 
president  of  B'nai  Israel  Congregation. 

MlCANOPY 

Benjamin  Building  (O'  Brisky 
Books)  100  block  of  Cholokka 
Boulevard  32667  (352)  466-3910 
The  Benjamin  Building,  built  by  S.  H. 
Benjamin  in  1885,  was  the  first  two- 
story  brick  building  in  Micanopy. 
The  second  story  was  lost  in  a  fire 
long  ago.  Between  1883  and  1901, 
Benjamin  and  his  partner,  Jacob  Katz, 
operated  a  dry  goods  and  furniture 
business  at  this  location. 

Micanopy  Historical  Society 
Museum  Cholokka  Boulevard  and 
Bay  Street  32667  (352)  466-3200 
The  museum  houses  an  exhibit 
covering  four  generations  of 
Micanopy  Benjamins,  with  portraits, 
china  and  silver  as  well  as  S.  H. 
Benjamin's  woolen  suspenders  and 
his  ivory-handled  walking  cane.  Also 


Moses  Elias  Levy,  a  founder  of  the 
city  of  Micanopy  and  father  of 
David  Levy  Yulee,  was  born  in 
1781  in  Morocco,  where  his  father 
was  a  Moroccan  government 
minister.  When  Moses'  father  died 
in  1800,  the  family  moved  to  St. 
Thomas,  West  Indies.  There  young 
Levy  built  a  successful  lumber 
business,  and,  in  1803,  married 
Hannah  Abendanone.  They 
subsequently  had  two  sons  and 
two  daughters.  Levy  moved  to 
Havana  in  1816  where  he  made  a 
fortune  in  shipping  and  soon 
acquired  50,000  acres  of  the 
Arrendondo  grant  in  Spanish 
Florida,  near  today's  Micanopy. 
In  1821  Levy  moved  to  Florida, 
then  to  Micanopy  where,  in  1822, 
he  became  a  naturalized  American 
citizen.  Levy  established  Pilgrim- 
age Plantation,  which  he  hoped  to 
transform  into  a  colony  for 
persecuted  European  Jews.  He 
built  houses,  dug  wells,  and 
sought  international  support  for 
his  haven.  Pilgrimage  Plantation 
was  burned  in  the  Second  Semi- 
nole War  in  1835,  and,  although  it 
remained  a  sugar  plantation,  it 
never  turned  a  profit.  Levy  not 
only  planned  for  the  rescue  of 
persecuted  Jews,  he  also  pub- 
lished a  plan  to  abolish  slavery.  He 
became  a  proponent  for  free 
education  in  Florida  and  was  a 
charter  officer  of  the  Florida 
Education  Society.  By  the  1840s 
Levy  owned  100,000  acres 
throughout  the  state,  including 
land  along  the  St.  Johns  River 
southward  to  where  the  city  of 
Sanford  was  later  built,  and 
westward  to  Tampa  Bay.  Through- 
out his  life  Levy  strictly  observed 
the  kosher  laws  just  as  they  were 
written  in  the  Torah,  continually 
seeking  to  improve  conditions  for 
his  co-religionists  throughout  the 
world.  Moses  Elias  Levy  died  in  1854 


15 


Lemon  Street,  Palatka  (now  St. 
Johns  Avenue) 


on  display  is  the  Micanopy  Gazette, 
featuring  front-page  ads  for  fabrics 
and  clothing  during  the  grand 
opening  sale  at  S.H.  Benjamin  & 
Co's.  The  collection  includes  pictures 
of  the  Benjamin  Building  when  it 
was  first  constructed  and  as  it 
appears  today. 

Putnam  County 

Palatka 

During  the  19th  century,  many  Jews 
came  to  Palatka  to  seek  their  fortune. 
They  traveled  from  Jacksonville  on 
the  St.  Johns  River  and  settled  in 
Palatka,  a  prosperous  mill  town  and 
tourist  destination.  Here  they  opened 
small  retail  stores  on  Lemon  Street, 
today  known  as  St.  Johns  Avenue.  By 
1926,  there  were  approximately  100 
Jews  in  Palatka.  Although  the 
original  stores  are  gone,  many  of 
their  houses  remain  in  the  city's 
historic  districts.  For  more  informa- 
tion about  Palatka's  historic  sites, 
contact  the  Putnam  County  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  1100  Reid  Street  (904) 
328-1503. 

Calhoun  House  (Azalea  House  Bed 
&  Breakfast)  220  Madison  Street 
32177-3531  (904)  325-4547 
This  Victorian  style  mansion,  built  by 
Marcus  Loeb  between  1878  and  1883, 
has  been  restored.  Visitors  are 
welcome.  The  house  is  noted  for  its 
encircling  verandas,  multigabled  roof 
and  stained  glass  windows. 


Loeb  House 

510  North  3rd  Street  32177-3518 
Marcus  Loeb  built  this  Victorian  style 
house  in  1886  for  his  own  residence. 
Loeb  arrived  in  Palatka  in  the  early 
1880s  and  opened  a  clothing  store. 
He  was  president  of  Palatka's  first 
telephone  company  and  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  old  East  Florida  Savings 
and  Trust  Company.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  city  council  from  1884 
to  at  least  1896,  and  grandmaster  and 
treasurer  of  the  Palatka  Masonic 
Lodge. 

Jacobson  House 
300  North  3rd  Street  32177 
Dry  goods  merchant  Leo  Jacobson 
and  his  wife  Lottie  were  the  first 
occupants  of  this  Colonial  Revival 
style  house,  built  in  1912.  Its  two- 
story  veranda  with  balustrades  and 
four-sided  "hip"  roof  are  reminiscent 
of  the  earlier  Eastlake  style.  The 


Jacobsons  also  owned  the  similar  house 
next  door  at  304  North  3rd  Street. 

Lilienthal  House 
524  South  17th  Street  32177-4715 
Bavarian-born  B.  H.  Lilienthal  was 
the  first  mayor  of  Palatka  Heights,  an 
early  suburb.  He  moved  to  Palatka  in 
1874,  bought  this  lot  in  1875,  and 
built  this  Victorian  frame  vernacular 
house  around  1880.  Lilienthal  was  a 
city  councilman  for  Palatka  in  the 
1870s  and  county  treasurer  in  1895. 

Meyer  House 

508  Laurel  Street  32177-5146 

Israel  and  Dina  Meyer  were  the  first 
occupants  of  this  Victorian  style 
house,  built  circa  1885.  Meyer  was 
one  of  the  earliest  Jewish  merchants 
in  downtown  Palatka.  The  two-story 
portico,  patterned  in  cut-turned 
balustrades  and  brackets,  is  in  the 
Eastlake  style. 


S.H.  Benjamin  &  Co. 


£ 


United  Hebrews  of  Ocala 
Temple,  built  in  1888 


Marion  County 

Ocala 

Marcus  Frank  House  (Anderson- 
Frank  House)  728  Fort  King  Avenue 
34471 

This  elegant  1891  Classical  Revival 
style  house  was  the  residence  of 
Marcus  Frank.  In  1899,  16-year-old 
Frank  and  his  widowed  mother, 
Julia,  moved  from  South  Florida  to 
Ocala.  Frank  rose  to  prominence  as  a 
businessman  while  serving  as  a  city 
councilman  for  16  years,  and  was 
elected  to  the  Florida  House  of 
Representatives  in  1939  and  1948. 

Rheinauer  &  Brothers  First  Store 
20  Southeast  Broadway  34471-2132 

Charles  Rheinauer,  son  of  a  cantor, 
settled  in  Ocala  in  1882.  His  brothers 
Maurice  and  Ben  worked  with  him 
in  the  clothing  business.  In  1906, 
Charles  became  Ocala's  second 


Central  and  Central 
East  Florida 


Jewish  mayor.  Rheinauer 's  was  to 
become  one  of  Florida's  most  fash- 
ionable clothing  stores.  A  young 
Isaac  Maas  clerked  for  Rheinauer  in 
the  early  1880s.  Within  a  few  years 
Maas  joined  his  own  brother,  Abe,  in 
Tampa  where  they  founded  the  Maas 
Brothers  Department  Store. 

United  Hebrews  of  Ocala  Cemetery 
North  Magnolia  Avenue  and 
Northeast  14th  Street  34475-9077 
(352)  629-3587  or  (352)  624-0380 
This  is  the  fourth  oldest  Jewish 
cemetery  in  Florida,  dating  from 
1873.  Marcus  Frank,  Charles 
Rheinauer,  and  Joe  and  Fred  Malever 
are  among  those  buried  here. 

United  Hebrews  of  Ocala  Temple 
719  Northeast  2nd  Street  34470-6755 
Florida's  oldest  existing  synagogue 
dates  from  1888,  the  year  the  congre- 
gation was  founded.  This  wooden 
building  was  the  third  synagogue 
built  in  Florida  after  the  Pensacola 
and  Jacksonville  synagogues.  Its 
original  stained  glass  windows  are 
still  in  place. 


Mack's  (women's  clothing  store), 

Hyman  and  Celia  Roth,  1910,  at  130 

South  Beach  Street; 

Doby's  (men's  clothing  store),  Sam 

and  Bessie  Dobrow,  100  North 

Beach  Street; 

Nass's  Bootery; 

Jay's  Dress  Shop; 

Henry  Silverstein's  Luggage. 

Thelma  Schlossberg  Room,  Florida 
Braille  and  Talking  Book  Library 
420  Piatt  Street  32114  (904)  239-6000 
or  (800)  226-6075 

Thelma  Schlossberg  spent  many 
years  at  this  library  teaching  herself 
and  others  to  transcribe  books  into 
Braille.  In  the  1980s,  the  library 
created  the  Thelma  Schlossberg 
Room  as  a  place  for  her  to  conduct 
Braille  workshops.  Braille  also  has 
been  a  major  project  of  the  Sister- 
hood of  Temple  Beth  El,  originally  of 
Daytona  Beach,  now  of  Ormond 
Beach.  This  library  is  part  of  the 
Division  of  Blind  Services  for  the 
State  of  Florida. 


VOLUSIA  COUNTY  BREVARD  COUNTY 


Daytona  Beach 

Beach  Street  Retailers 

200  North  Beach  Street  to  200  South 

Beach  Street  32114 

For  80  years  Jewish-owned  retail 
shops  dominated  these  blocks  of 
Beach  Street.  Among  the  earliest  was 
Ginsberg's  Panama  Hat  Store.  Jacob 
and  Anna  Ginsberg  came  to  Daytona 
Beach  in  1908  and  are  considered  its 
first  Jewish  family.  Other  Jewish- 
owned  stores  located  on  Beach  Street 
were: 


Cocoa 

Rubin  Brothers  Department  Store 
100  Harrison  Street,  Northwest 
corner  of  Harrison  and  Delany 
Streets  32922-7913 
This  site-once  the  largest  store  in 
Brevard  County-is  in  the  quaint  area 
now  known  as  Cocoa  Village.  Isadore 
and  Anna  Holtsberg  Rubin  settled  in 
Cocoa  in  1914.  They  had  this  build- 
ing constructed  to  house  their  third 
store.  Isadore  was  very  active  in  civic 
affairs  and  was  elected  councilman  in 
1926.  He  served  eight  years  until  the 


17 


Harry  Pepper  and  Mack  Roth 


Harry  Pepper  and  Mack  Roth  were 
the  pivotal  organizers  of  the 
Daytona  Beach  Jewish  community. 
Harry  Pepper  was  born  in  Austria 
in  1889.  He  was  sent  to  America  at 
the  age  of  six  as  the  traveling 
companion  of  an  older  sister.  They 
were  joined  a  few  years  later  by 
their  parents  and  other  siblings. 
The  Peppers  settled  in  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  where  Harry  married 
Bella  Berman  in  1910.  Six  years 
later,  Harry  had  difficulty  recuper- 
ating from  an  appendectomy,  and 
his  doctor  recommended  a  change 
of  climate.  Harry  and  Bella  Pepper 
then  moved  to  Florida,  first  to 
Jacksonville  and  then  to  Daytona 
Beach,  where  the  Peppers  joined  a 
Jewish  "community"  of  two 
families  and  a  few  single  men. 
Harry  became  a  dealer  in  junk 
products  and  secondhand  automo- 
biles and  auto  parts.  His  business 
flourished  and,  durii^  'he  land 
boom  in  the  mid-1920^      'switched 
to  real  estate.  Harry  bu      Pep's 
Pool,  the  first  public  swi        ing 
pool  in  Daytona  Beach  ai  first 

salt-water  swimming  poo, 
Florida.  Jewish  newcomer 
Daytona  Beach  were  welcon        it 
the  Pepper  home  and  Jewish 


holidays  were  celebrated  there  as 
well.  During  World  War  II,  the 
Pepper  home  became  a  gathering 
place  for  Jewish  servicemen  and 
servicewomen. 

Hyman  Roth  (1869-1940)  and  Celia 
Roth  (1870-1935)  arrived  in 
Daytona  Beach  in  1910  and  opened 
a  women's  clothing  store  named 
Mack's  Shop  after  one  of  their  nine 
children.  Later,  Mack  Roth  oper- 
ated the  store  that  bore  his  name, 
which  stood  at  130  South  Beach 
Street.  As  a  close  friend  of  Gover- 
nor David  Sholtz,  Roth  organized 
the  welfare  agencies  of  Orange, 
Osceola,  Putnam,  Volusia,  and 
Flagler  counties.  Roth  and  his  wife, 
Estelle,  were  active  promoters  of 
many  Jewish  causes.  In  1924  Mack 
Roth  and  Harry  Pepper  helped 
found  the  Daytona  Hebrew  Asso- 
ciation in  order  to  establish  a 
Jewish  congregation  and  a  Jewish 
cemetery.  In  1924  the  association 
acquired  the  land  that  became  Mt. 
Sinai  Cemetery  and  founded 
Temple  Israel.  Mack  Roth  was 
appointed  president  for  three 
months.  Harry  Pepper  followed  as 
the  first  elected  president. 


Depression  caused  the  family  to 
move  to  Miami.  The  Rubins  are 
believed  to  be  the  only  Jewish  family 
to  have  lived  in  Cocoa  during  those 
years.  When  they  moved,  the  city  of 
Cocoa  declared  "Isadore  Rubin  Day" 
in  appreciation  for  his  civic  contribu- 
tions. The  family  produced  three 
mayors:  Fred  Holtsberg  and  Bernard 
Rubin  in  Fort  Pierce,  and  Philip 
Rubin  in  Crystal  River. 

Seminole  County 

Sanford 

Jewish  Center  of  Sanford 
203  East  16th  Street  32771 
Sometimes  called  Beth  Israel  Temple, 
this  synagogue  was  built  in  1927  by 
Abraham  H.  Moses  and  dedicated  in 
memory  of  his  wife,  Annie.  The  local 
Jewish  community  owned  it  until  1968. 

Manuel  Jacobson's  Department 
Store  (Hotchkiss  Block) 
213  East  First  Street  32771 
Jacobson's  Department  Store  occu- 
pied this  1886  Romanesque  Revival 
style  brick  building  for  many  years. 
Manuel  and  Hannah  Jacobson 
arrived  in  Sanford  in  1931.  His 
brothers  Herman  and  Arthur  who,  in 
1925,  opened  the  H  &  A  Department 
Store  at  401  South  Sanford  Avenue 
preceded  them.  Manuel's  first  store 
was  the  Outlet,  diagonally  across 
from  H  &  A.  In  the  1950s,  the  broth- 
ers relocated  their  businesses  to  First 
Street.  Herman  and  his  wife,  Rose 
Edith,  opened  Ro-Jay,  a  women's 
fashion  store  in  the  historic  Meisch 
Building,  at  224  East  First  Street.  The 
Jacobsons  were  part  of  a  sizeable 
Jewish  community  that  at  one  time 
outnumbered  the  Jewish  community 
of  nearby  Orlando. 

Moses  Clock  and  Park 

First  Street  and  Magnolia  Avenue 

Abraham  H.  and  Annie  Moses 
arrived  in  Sanford  in  1909  and 
established  a  produce  farm.  Abe 
acquired  this  clock  in  1930  when  he 
purchased  the  First  National  Bank  at 
101  East  First  Street.  He  donated  it  to 


the  city,  where  it  was  initially  used  as 
part  of  a  traffic  signal  at  Park  and 
First.  When  it  became  apparent  that 
the  clock  was  more  hazard  than  help, 
the  city  removed  it.  In  1985,  the 
Moses'  granddaughter  Stella  Oritt 
and  her  husband  purchased  the 
clock,  had  it  restored  and  donated  it 
to  the  city  of  Sanford  in  memory  of 
her  grandparents.  She  stipulated  that 
she  wanted  the  clock  to  be  located  on 
Magnolia-the  street  where  she  had 
lived  as  a  child.  The  clock  and  a 
commemorative  plaque  were  placed 
in  this  tiny  park  on  Sanford' s  main 
business  street. 


Orange  County 

Maitland 

Holocaust  Memorial  and  Resource 
Education  Center 
851  North  Maitland  Avenue  32751 
(407)  628-0555 

This  building  was  constructed  in 
1986.  The  six  bay-glass  windows  in 
front  feature  an  eternal  flame  in 
memorial  to  the  six  million  Jews  who 
perished  in  the  Holocaust.  Six 
columns  that  represent  the  smoke 
stacks  of  the  crematoria  flank  the 
building.  Adjacent  to  the  Center  is  a 
memorial  garden.  The  Center  houses 


a  museum,  a  library,  and  facilities  for 
its  education  program.  The  perma- 
nent exhibit  contains  the  following 
sections:  The  Life  Before;  In  the 
Camps;  Resistance;  Final  Solution; 
Liberation;  Witness  Histories;  and 
Local  Survivors  and  Liberators.  Wolf 
Kahn,  a  refugee  from  the  Holocaust 
who  lives  in  Maitland,  designed  the 
Center's  door. 

Orlando 

Berman  House 

830  Lucerne  Terrace  32801-3732 
Nat  and  Pauline  Berman  came  to 
Orlando  in  1908  and  moved  into  this 
house  circa  1935.  Their  daughter  and 
her  husband  lived  in  the  house 
behind  at  115  West  Gore.  Pauline 
Berman  was  an  activist  who  called 
the  meeting  that  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  Ohev  Shalom, 
Orlando's  first  Jewish  congregation. 
A  major  force  in  the  civil  rights 
movement,  she  was  regarded  as  the 
first  female  radio  news  commentator 
in  the  nation  and  hosted  her  own 
radio  program  from  1930  to  1933. 

Dr.  P.  Phillips'  Original  Home 
211  North  Lucerne  Circle  East  32801 
(407)  648-5188 

This  restored  1893  house  is  part  of 
the  Courtyard  of  Lake  Lucerne-a 
group  of  four  restored  historic 
properties,  including  the  city's 
oldest  house,  that  are  now 
private  bed  and  breakfast  inns. 
This  was  the  home  of  Dr. 
Phillip  Phillips,  one  of 
Florida's  most  successful 


Jacob  Raphael 
Cohen 


Jacob  R.  Cohen  was  one  of  the 
drafters  of  the  Orlando  City 
Charter  and  a  member  of  the 
city  council  in  Orlando  and  in 
Tallahassee.  Born  in  1850, 
Cohen  moved  to  Florida  in  the 
1860s  and  opened  a  series  of 
general  stores  in  Florida's 
frontier  settlements  in  Fort 
Meade,  Fort  Ogden,  Bartow, 
and  Palatka  around  1870  and  in 
Orlando  in  1873.  Cohen  was 
assisted  in  some  of  his  early 
businesses  by  his  brother-in- 
law  Philip  Dzialynski,  who  had 
married  Cohen's  sister,  Mary,  in 
1865.  Cohen  furthered  his 
connection  with  the  Dzialynski 
family  in  1877  when  he  married 
Philip's  niece,  Rachel  Williams, 
the  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Helena  Dzialynski  Williams  of 
Tallahassee.  Upon  his  marriage, 
Cohen  moved  to  Tallahassee.  In 
1890,  as  a  member  of  the 
Tallahassee  City  Council, 
Cohen  introduced  a  resolution 
that  designated  two  cemetery 
plots  in  the  Old  City  Cemetery 
for  Jewish  burial.  This  was  the 
first  Jewish  burial  ground  in 
Tallahassee.  Cohen  died  in 
Tallahassee  in  November  of 
that  year. 


19 


early  citrus  growers.  Phillips  came  to 
Orlando  in  1897  to  buy  land  for 
groves.  His  empire  grew  to  over 
5,000  acres.  In  1916,  Dr.  Phillips  built 
a  theater  at  25  South  Orange  Avenue. 
In  addition  to  the  theater's  live 
entertainment,  it  also  became  what  is 
believed  to  have  been  Orlando's  first 
movie  house.  Dr.  Phillips  was  active 
in  many  social  and  civic  organiza- 
tions during  his  lifetime.  As  a  result, 
there  are  numerous  sites  in  the 
Orlando  area  that  bear  his  name.  The 
Dr.  Phillips  Performing  Arts  Center, 
now  a  rehearsal  hall  for  the  Orlando 
Civic  Opera,  also  is  located  at  25 
South  Orange  Avenue.  Today  the  Dr. 
P.  Phillips  Foundation  annually 


awards  funds  to  civic  and  cultural 
activities. 

Mennello  Museum  of  American 
Folk  Art,  900  East  Princeton  Street 
32801  (407)  246-4278 
Originally  the  home  of  Dr.  Phillips' 
son,  this  structure  was  built  in  1971, 
renovated  in  1998  and  reopened  that 
year  as  the  Mennello  Museum. 
Permanently  displayed  in  the 
gardens  and  in  front  of  the  museum 
are  the  whimsical  sculptured  crea- 
tures crafted  by  Paul  Marco  from 
welded  farm  implements.  Marco 
(1911-1997)  was  born  in  Czechoslova- 
kia and  in  later  years 
divided  his  time  be- 


tween Sarasota  and  Maine.  His  wife 
Eva,  a  survivor  of  Auschwitz,  was  a 
painter. 

Ohev  Shalom  Cemetery 
Old  Winter  Garden  Road,  1/4  mile 
West  of  Kirkman  Road  32835 
(407)  298-4650 

This  is  the  oldest  of  Orlando's  Jewish 
cemeteries,  founded  in  1927  and 
originally  called  Mount  Neboh. 
Buried  here  are  members  of  Jewish 
families  who  came  to  Central  Florida 
in  the  early  1900s-the  Salomons, 
Kanners,  and  Bermans.  Also  interred 
here  are  Shaders,  Wittensteins, 
Meitins,  Levys,  and  Millers-mem- 
bers of  Pittsburgh  families  who 
emigrated  to  Orlando  circa  1912. 
Israel  Shader  (who  is  buried  in 
Pittsburgh)  brought  a  Torah  scroll  to 
Orlando  and  conducted  religious 
services  in  a  citrus  grove,  midway 
between  his  land  and  the  adjoining 
Levy  farm.  The  Shader  Torah  is 
buried  at  this  cemetery.  Jewish 
tradition  requires  sacred  books  and 
scrolls  to  be  buried  as  part  of  a 
religious  ceremony.  Such  a  burial  is 
one  of  the  steps  that  may  be  under- 
taken to  consecrate  land  for  a  Jewish 
cemetery. 

Three  Former  Synagogues 
in  Downtown  Orlando 

The  city's  three  historic  Jewish 
congregations  were  located  in  the 
downtown  area  where  many  of  their 
congregants  lived. 

Congregation  of  Liberal  Judaism 
(Reform)  301  North  Ferncreek 
Avenue  32803-5400 

The  Liberal  Jewish  Fellowship, 
founded  in  1948,  became  the  Con- 
gregation of  Liberal  Judaism  two 
years  later.  This  1951  building  was 
the  congregation's  first  synagogue. 
Liberal  remained  here  until  1971. 

Ohev  Shalom  Congregation 
(Conservative)  525  East  Church 
Street  32835 

Orlando's  first  synagogue  dates 
from  1926.  Ohev  Shalom,  Orlando's 
oldest  Jewish  congregation,  founded 
in  1918,  remained  at  this  site  until 


v^: 


1972.  George  Miller,  who  married 
one  of  Israel  Shader's  daughters, 
designed  the  Neo-classical  Revival 
style  building.  Its  original  stained 
glass  windows  are  still  in  place. 

Temple  Israel  (Conservative) 
331  Cathcart  Avenue  32803-5630 

Temple  Israel  was  chartered  in  1954 
and  soon  bought  this  1928  Mediterra- 
nean Revival  style  church.  The 
congregation  remained  here  until  1966. 

Polk  County 

Lakeland 

Munn  Historic  District 

Estroff 's  Department  Store 

224-228  East  Pine  33801 

The  restored  1903  Clonts  Building 

was  an  early  site  of  Nathan  Estroff's 

Department  Store,  located  here  from 

1925  to  the  mid-1930s. 

Marble  Arcade  Building 

129  South  Kentucky  Avenue  33801 

This  ten-story  office  building  was 
designed  by  Roy  Benjamin  in  1926- 
1927  and  restored  in  1988.  It  was 
Lakeland's  first  steel  frame  high-rise 
building  and  for  nearly  40  years  was 
considered  the  city's  most  presti- 
gious office  location.  The  building 
follows  the  style  of  the  famous 
American  architect,  Louis  L.  Sulli- 
van, by  combining  strong  vertical 
and  horizontal  lines  with  more 
classical  details. 

Nathan  and  Leonard  Wolf  Citrus 
Groves  Highway  540  at  Highway  98 
and  548,  across  from  University  of 
South  Florida  Lakeland  Campus 

The  Wolf  Citrus  Groves  can  be 
viewed  from  this  vantage  point.  Nat 
Wolf  and  later  his  son,  Leonard, 
operated  extensive  groves  through- 
out Central  Florida  beginning  in  the 
1930s.  Nat's  first  grove  was  in  Lake 
Garfield,  now  on  the  site  of  a  phos- 
phate mine.  Nat  Avenue  and  Wolf 
Avenue  in  Arcadia  are  reminders  of 
Nat  Wolf's  groves  there.  Other  Wolf 
groves  are  north  of  Sebring. 


Original  Temple  Emanuel 

(Conservative) 

308  West  Patterson  33803-1242 

In  1926, 16  Jewish  families  met  above 
a  store  on  Main  Street  to  hold 
religious  services,  forming  the  Jewish 
Alliance  of  Lakeland.  In  1932,  the 
Jewish  Alliance  purchased  this 
church  building  for  $1,000  and 
remodeled  it  into  its  first  synagogue. 
As  their  numbers  grew,  the  congre- 
gation became  known  as  Temple 
Emanuel.  They  remained  here  until 
1962  when  they  moved  to  their 
current  location. 

Temple  Emanuel  (Conservative) 
600  Lake  Hollingworth  Drive  33803- 
2363  (941)  682-8616 
This  1962  synagogue,  located  across 
the  lake  from  Florida  Southern 


College,  was  the  first  built  in  Lake- 
land. The  congregation  built  this 
synagogue  adjacent  to  its  original 
site  which  burned  down. 

Wolfson's  Famous  Stores 
236  N.  Kentucky  Avenue  33801-4979 
Cyrus  Wolfson,  believed  to  be  the 
first  Jewish  settler  in  Lakeland,  came 
here  in  1909  to  collect  a  bill.  So 
impressed  was  he  with  the  town  that 
he  moved  his  family  here  three  years 
later  and  opened  his  first  Famous 
Store  at  236  North  Kentucky  Avenue. 
This  building  later  served  as  The 
Strand,  Lakeland's  first  movie 
theater.  He  then  moved  his  store  to 
121  East  Main  Street  before  moving 
to  its  third  and  final  location  at  211- 
215  East  Main  Street  from  1920  to 
1932.  He  was  so  proud  of  this  store 


21 


that  he  changed  its  name  from 
Famous  Store  to  Famous  Department 
Store.  Inside  were  solid  mahogany 
counters  with  slide-out  shelves. 

Wolfson's  Drug  Store 
1211  South  Florida  33803 
Wilfred  Wolf  son  (Cyrus  Wolfson's 
son)  opened  the  first  drive-in  drug- 
store in  Lakeland.  He  constructed 
this  building  in  1953.  He  built  his 
second  at  1401  Lakeland  Hills 
Boulevard.  Although  it  closed  in 
1988,  his  third  store,  at  2518  South 
Florida,  still  bears  his  name-Wolfson 
Drug  Store. 

Highlands 
County 

Sebring 

Kahn's  Department  Store 
(Nan-Ces-O-Wee  Hotel) 
133-145  North  Ridgewood  Drive 

33870-7202 

Mike  and  Sadie  Kahn,  immigrants 
from  Lithuania  who  barely  spoke 
English,  came  to  the  young  town  of 
Sebring  in  1921  in  search  of  opportu- 
nity. Developer  George  Sebring 
warmly  welcomed  them.  By  1925, 
Kahn's  Department  Store  occupied 
part  of  the  ground  floor  of  George 
Sebring's  1923  Nan-Ces-O-Wee 
Hotel.  The  three-story  brick  building 
is  the  largest  surviving  commercial 
building  in  downtown  Sebring.  In 
1933,  Michael  Kahn  began  acquiring 
citrus  groves  and  farmland.  After  his 
death  in  1943,  Sadie  began  managing 
the  groves.  She  is  credited  with 
installing  the  first  modern  irrigation 
system  in  Highlands  County.  Some 
of  the  original  pipe  is  still  used  to 
irrigate  the  Kahn  groves.  A  little 
park,  dedicated  to  her,  adjoins  the 
hotel  building. 

Jewish  Section,  Sebring  Municipal 

Cemetery,  Cemetery  Road 

(941) 385-0101 

Recognizing  the  need  for  a  Jewish 

cemetery,  the  Kahn  family  bought 

approximately  100  contiguous 

gravesites  at  the  municipal  cemetery 


22 


in  the  1960s.  The  remains  of  Michael 
Kahn,  who  had  been  buried  in  1943 
in  an  Orlando  Jewish  cemetery,  were 
transported  to  the  family  plot  in 
Sebring.  Reburials,  rarely  permitted 
under  Jewish  law,  are  allowed  when 
the  remains  are  moved  to  a  family 
gravesite  or  when  they  are  moved 
from  a  non-Jewish  cemetery  to  one 
that  has  been  consecrated  for  Jewish 
burial. 


Martin  County 

Stuart 

Old  Martin  County  Court  House 
80  East  Ocean  Boulevard  34994 
(561)  287-6676 

Judge  Abraham  Otto  (A.  O.)  Kanner 
served  on  the  circuit  court  in  this 
building  from  1941  to  1957.  The 
courtroom  and  judges'  chambers 
were  located  on  the  second  floor. 
Kanner  was  born  in  Sanford  in  1893 
and  moved  to  Stuart  in  1925  where 
he  would  live  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  served  in  the  Florida 
Legislature  from  1927  to  1941  and 
later  as  the  first  Chief  Justice  of 
Florida's  newly  created  2nd  District 
Court  of  Appeals.  Kanner  foresaw 
the  economic  importance  of  being 


able  to  truck  produce  from  inland 
farms  to  markets  on  the  East  Coast 
and  beyond.  To  accomplish  this,  he 
convinced  the  state  to  construct  State 
Road  76  from  Lake  Okeechobee's 
eastern  shore  at  Port  Mayaca  to  U.S. 
Highway  1  at  Stuart.  After  his  death 
in  1967,  State  Road  76  was  renamed 
the  A.O.  Kanner  Highway.  This  1937 
Art  Deco  style  courthouse  was 
restored  in  1990  and  turned  into  an 
art  museum. 


£ 


Central  West  and  Southwest 
Florida 


Citrus  County 

HOMOSASSA 
Yulee  Sugar  Mill  Ruins  State 
Historic  Site  and  Park 
One  mile  west  of  Homosassa  on 
Highway  490.  For  information 
contact  the  Crystal  River  State 
Archaeological  Site,  3400  North 
Museum  Point,  Crystal  River  34428 
(352)  795-3817. 

David  Levy  Yulee,  Florida's  first  U.S. 
Senator,  once  owned  a  thriving  sugar 
plantation  at  this  location.  Dating 
from  1851,  it  covered  more  than  5,000 
acres  and  produced  cotton,  citrus 
crops  and  sugar  cane.  The  sugar  mill, 
which  is  located  near  the  Homosassa 
River,  operated  for  13  years  produc- 
ing sugar,  syrup,  and  molasses. 
When  the  house  on  Tiger  Tail  Island 
was  burned  by  Union  troops  in  1864, 
the  mill  was  abandoned  and  the 
plantation  left  in  ruins.  The  site 
includes  remnants  of  the  mill  and 
picnic  areas. 

Pinellas  County 

Clearwater 

Holocaust  Memorial  at  Temple 
B'nai  Israel  (Reform) 
1685  South  Belcher  Road  33764 
(727)  531-5829 

Alfred  Tibor's  23-foot  Holocaust 
Memorial  is  a  focal  point  for  Holo- 
caust education  in  Pinellas  County. 
Inside  the  synagogue  visitors  will 
find  backlit  stained  glass  windows 
that  were  made  in  pre-Holocaust 
Germany  for  a  synagogue  in  Indiana. 
The  windows  were  found  at  a  flea 
market  in  Pinellas  County.  A  member 
of  the  congregation  purchased  them 


'- 


Yulee  Sugar  Mill  Ruins,  Ho 


and  donated  them  to  the  temple  in 
memory  of  a  loved  one.  B'nai  Israel 
was  founded  shortly  after  World  War 
II  and  is  the  oldest  Jewish  congrega- 
tion in  Clearwater.  The  current 
synagogue  was  built  in  1972. 

Sylvan  Abbey  Memorial  Park, 
Jewish  Section 
2860  Sunset  Point  Road  33759 
(727)  796-1992 

Most  of  Clearwater's  pioneer  Jews 
are  buried  in  this  cemetery,  including 
Louis  and  Hannah  Frank.  Louis 
Frank  is  considered  to  be  the  first 
permanent  Jewish  resident  of 
Pinellas  County.  Frank  settled  in 
Clearwater  in  1911  and  founded  the 
New  York  Department  Store  the 
following  year. 

St.  Petersburg 

Florida  Holocaust  Museum 

55  Fifth  Street  South  33701 

(727)  820-0100 

The  museum  opened  at  this  site  in 

1998  in  a  renovated  bank  with  27,000 

square  feet  of  exhibit  space.  The  first 


•.  t  • 
< 


• 


floor  houses  the  permanent  exhibit, 
which  includes  a  boxcar  once  used 
by  the  Nazis  to  transport  Jews  and 
others  to  extermination  camps.  The 
exhibit  is  divided  into  12  sections 
that  cover  pre-war  life  in  Eastern 
Europe,  the  Holocaust,  concentration 
camps  and  the  birth  of  the  State  of 
Israel.  Special  exhibitions  are  shown 
on  the  second  floor.  The  museum 
also  houses  a  theater,  a  meditation 
court,  an  archive  repository  with 
video  testimonies,  a  learning  center, 
and  a  library  and  resource  center. 

Maas  Brothers  Department  Store 
(Florida  International  Museum) 
100  2nd  Street  North  33701 
(727)  821-1448 

This  building  is  the  former  300,000- 
square-foot  Maas  Brothers  Depart- 
ment Store  that  operated  here  from 
1948  to  1991.  It  was  one  of  the  largest 
of  the  Maas  Brothers  stores  in  the 
state,  and  in  downtown  St.  Peters- 
burg. The  museum  opened  in 
January  1995  and  showcases  major 
traveling  exhibitions. 


23 


J 


Temple  Beth  El  (Reform) 
Arlington,  between  7th  and  8th 
North 

St.  Petersburg's  historic  Reform 
congregation  was  founded  in  the  late 
1920s.  The  congregation  built  this 
synagogue  in  1932.  Beth  El  remained 
here  until  1962  when  it  moved  to  its 
current  location  at  400  Pasadena 
Avenue  South. 


Hillsborough 
County 

Plant  City 

Wishnatzki  and  Nathel 
Strawberries 

100  Stearns  Street  33566-5045 
(813)  752-5111 

This  company  has  been  known  since 
the  1930s  as  the  Winter  Strawberry 
King  because  most  winter  strawber- 
ries in  the  country  once  came  from 
Plant  City.  Polish  immigrants  Harris 
and  Yetta  Wishnatzki  came  to  Plant 
City  in  the  early  1930s.  Deeply  proud 
of  his  Jewish  heritage,  Harris  de- 
signed his  produce  label  with  a  Star 
of  David,  in  spite  of  threats  from  his 
competition.  The  family  still  uses  the 
label  on  all  the  produce  it  distributes 


to  supermarkets.  People  are  welcome 
to  stop  and  buy  strawberries,  al- 
though Wishnatzki  and  Nathel 
Strawberries  does  not  operate  as  a 
retail  outlet. 

Tampa 

Jewish  Merchants  of  Franklin  Street 
500  through  1500  blocks  of  North 
Franklin  Street  33602 
North  Franklin  Street,  now  a  pedes- 
trian mall,  was  long  dominated  by 
Jewish-owned  retail  establishments. 
In  1903  there  were  16  Jewish-owned 
stores  on  Franklin  Street.  By  1926 
there  were  40,  including  haberdash- 
eries, milliners,  ladies'  fashions, 
hosiery,  dry  goods,  jewelers,  shoes, 
and  furniture.  Among  the  peddlers 
and  merchants  was  German  immi- 
grant Morris  Wolf.  Wolf  went  to 
work  for  the  Maas  brothers  in  their 
clothing  store  and  later  opened  his 
own  custom  clothing  store.  Maas 
Brothers,  Wolf  Brothers,  O.  Falk  and 
the  dozens  of  smaller  retail  stores 
along  this  strip  influenced  the 
buying  habits  of  several  generations 
of  shoppers  who  came  to  Franklin 
Street  from  a  wide  region  of  Florida. 


Maas  Brothers 

612-20  North  Franklin  Street  33602 

Maas  Brothers,  in  business  for  over 
100  years  from  1886  to  1991,  was 
Florida's  largest  department  store 
chain.  At  one  time,  19  Maas  Brothers 
stores  operated  in  Florida.  Abe  Maas 
left  Ocala  for  Tampa  in  1884  and  was 
soon  joined  by  his  brother  Isaac. 
After  the  brothers  retired  in  1929 
their  nephew,  Jerome  Waterman, 
succeeded  them.  Waterman  was  an 
aviator  who  promoted  the  growth  of 
aviation  in  Tampa  and  later  helped 
found  National  Airlines.  Waterman 
is  remembered  at  MacDill  Air  Force 
Base,  south  of  Tampa,  where  a  room 
in  the  Officer's  Club  is  named  for 
him. 

Daisy  G.  Waterman  Lighthouse  for 
the  Blind  1106  West  Piatt  Street 
33606-2142  (813)  251-2407 
Daisy  Waterman  and  the  Tampa 
section  of  the  National  Council  of 
Jewish  Women  spearheaded  the 
community  project  that  built  the 
Lighthouse  for  the  Blind.  Waterman 
also  helped  found  Tampa's  first 
Braille  program,  undertaken  by  the 
Sisterhood  of  Temple  Schaarai 
Zedek. 

Schaarai  Zedek  (Reform) 
3303  Swann  Avenue  33609 

(813)  876-2377 

Schaarai  Zedek  was  founded  on 
October  14, 1894,  as  Florida's  fifth 
Jewish  congregation.  The  congrega- 
tion built  its  first  synagogue  in  1899 
at  1205  Florida  Avenue,  where  it 
remained  until  1923.  In  1957  the 
congregation  moved  to  Swann 
Avenue.  The  cornerstones  from  the 
1899  and  1924  synagogues  are 
embedded  in  the  present  building. 
Some  of  the  congregation's  early 
archives  may  be  seen  by  appoint- 
ment. 

Tampa  Bay  History  Center 

225  South  Franklin  Street  33602- 

5329  (813)  228-0097 

The  Tampa  Bay  History  Center  has 

memorabilia  relating  to  the  early 

Jewish  community  of  Tampa. 

Included  in  the  collection  is  the 


24 


£ 


sterling  silver  trowel  that  was  used 
by  Mayor  Herman  Glogowski  at  the 
groundbreaking  ceremonies  for  the 
historic  Tampa  Bay  Hotel,  now  the 
University  of  Tampa.  On  permanent 
display  is  Nellye  Israelson 
Friedman's  Women's  Air  Corps 
uniform  from  World  War  II. 

Woodlawn  Cemetery 
3508-3612  North  Ola  Avenue  33603 
(813)  837-1911  or  876-2377 
Tampa's  first  Jewish  cemetery  was 
founded  in  1894.  Among  those 
buried  here  are  Herman  Glogowski, 
mayor  of  Tampa  from  1882  to  1892. 


Glogowski  is  credited  with  bringing 
sidewalks  and  electric  lights  to 
downtown  Tampa.  Others  buried 
here  include  Henry  Brash,  an  early 
mayor  of  Marianna;  his  wife,  Sarah 
Zelnicker  Brash,  a  founder  of  the 
National  Council  of  Jewish  Women's 
Tampa  chapter;  Ben  Brown,  postmas- 
ter of  Bartow;  and  his  wife  Ricka 
Maas  Brown. 

Ybor  City  Walking  Tour 
(map  on  page  29) 

Since  the  early  days  of  wooden 
sidewalks  and  gaslights,  Jewish 
merchants,  manufacturers  and 


laborers  were  present  in  Ybor  City- 
many  in  cigar-related  establishments. 
Jews  were  part  of  the  migration  that 
followed  cigar  manufacturer  Vicente 
Martinez  Ybor  from  Key  West  in 
1886.  In  addition  to  working  in  the 
cigar  shops  and  factories,  they 
opened  stores  and  businesses  that 
served  the  diverse  community  such 
as  Isadore  Kaunitz's  dry  goods 
business  in  1891  and  Adam  Katz's 
1892  department  store,  the  largest  in 
Ybor  City  at  that  time. 

By  1920  there  were  more  than  30 
Jewish  business  owners  in  Ybor  City, 
including  grocers,  clothiers,  dry 
goods  merchants,  jewelers,  cigar 
manufacturers  and  cigar  box  makers. 
Louis  Wohl,  restaurant  designer  and 
supplier,  owned  an  entire  block  on 
6th  Avenue.  Isadore  Kaunitz  built 
Ybor  City's  first  brick  building  in 
1894.  Max  Argintar  came  to  Ybor 
City  in  1903  and  opened  his  own 
store.  His  building  still  bears  his 
name.  Edward  Steinberg  arrived  in 
Tampa  in  1892  and  opened  a  clothing 
firm  while  working  with  two  Jewish 
organizations  to  assist  other  immi- 
grants. David  Stein  opened  his 
furniture  store  in  Ybor  City  in  1917 
and  had  his  own  building  con- 
structed in  1920.  Jewish  merchant  J. 
M.  Buchman  was  proprietor  of  a  dry 
goods  store.  The  Buchman  family 
owned  and  operated  businesses  in 
Ybor  City  from  the  early  1900s  to  the 
1980s. 

For  more  sites  and  information  on 
the  Ybor  City  Walking  Tour,  visit 
the  Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail 
website  at:  http://www.flheritage.com/ 
magazine/jht 

Standard  Cigar  Corporation 
2701  North  16th  Street  33605-2616 
(813)  248-2124 

Standard  Cigar  was  founded  by 
Stanford  and  Millard  Newman.  In 
the  1960s,  the  company  claimed  to 
produce  70  million  cigars  per  year. 
Another  Jewish-owned  cigar  busi- 
ness, Regensburg  &  Company, 
opened  a  factory  here  in  1911.  This  is 
now  the  working  factory  of  J.D. 


25 


J 


Newman  Cigar  Company,  renamed 
for  the  Newman  patriarch,  Julius. 
The  building  has  been  enlarged  and 
rehabilitated  over  the  years. 

Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association 
(YMHA) 

2105  Nebraska  Avenue  33602 
Originally  this  building  housed  the 
German-American  Club,  founded  in 
1901  to  promote  German  culture.  Its 
early  membership  included  Jews  as 
well  as  Christians.  Herman 
Glogowski  was  its  first  president. 
YMHA  acquired  the  building  in  1924 
and  remained  here  until  1944.  At 
that  time,  the  three-story  building 
contained  a  ballroom,  auditorium 
and  stage,  bowling  alleys  and 
meeting  rooms.  The  Young  Men's 
Hebrew  Association  was  the  forerun- 
ner of  the  Jewish  Community  Center. 

Manatee  County 

Ellenton 

Gamble  Mansion  and  Judah  P. 
Benjamin  Confederate  Memorial 
State  Historic  Site 
3708  Patten  Avenue  34222 
US  301  East  (941)  723-4536 
In  May  1865,  this  site  became  the 
hiding  place  for  Jewish  Confederate 
Secretary  of  State  Judah  P.  Benjamin. 
He  stayed  in  a  second-floor  bedroom 
with  a  balcony  that  provided  a  good 
lookout  for  Union  troops.  From  here 
he  escaped  to  England  where  he 


became  a  barrister.  In  1925  the  Judah 
P.  Benjamin  Daughters  of  the  Con- 
federacy turned  the  Gamble  planta- 
tion into  a  memorial  and  deeded  the 
plantation  to  the  State  of  Florida  in 
1926.  A  small  museum  in  a  separate 
building  includes  a  portrait  of 
Benjamin's  wife  and  a  saber  he 
presented  to  a  captain  for  aiding  in 
his  escape. 

Sarasota  County 

Sarasota 

Edwards  Theater  (Sarasota  Opera 
House)  61  North  Pineapple  Avenue 
34236-5723  (941)  366-8450 
Roy  A.  Benjamin,  a  Jewish  architect 
particularly  renowned  for  his  theater 
designs,  designed  this  restored  1926 
Mediterranean  Revival  style  theater. 
The  building  included  shops,  apart- 
ments, and  a  1,500-seat  auditorium. 

Temple  Beth  Shalom  (Conservative) 
1050  South  Tuttle  Avenue  34237- 
8199  (941)  955-8121 

Before  1925,  Jewish  worship  services 
were  held  in  the  home  of  Philip  and 
Cecelia  Levy.  In  1925,  a  congregation 
called  the  Jewish  Community  Center 
of  Sarasota  was  founded.  The  first 
Yom  Kippur  services  were  held  on 
the  second  floor  of  the  Tyler  Building 
on  3rd  Street.  The  congregation's  first 
synagogue  (1928)  was  built  on 
property  donated  by  the  city  on 
Washington  Avenue  between  6th  and 


7th  Streets.  In  1958  the  congregation 
acquired  the  land  at  its  present 
location  and  erected  an  educational 
building.  Groundbreaking  for  the 
synagogue  took  place  in  1972.  Inside, 
a  portion  of  the  MOSAIC:  Jewish  Life 
in  Florida  traveling  exhibit  relates  the 
history  of  the  Sarasota  Jewish 
community. 

Temple  Beth  Shalom  Cemetery 
3715  Circus  Boulevard  34232 
(941)  955-8121 

The  city  of  Sarasota  donated  land  for 
the  cemetery  to  the  Jewish  commu- 
nity. The  earliest  burial  dates  from 
1932.  At  the  cemetery's  entrance  is  a 
plaque  honoring  the  founders. 
Among  them  are  Philip  H.  Levy,  who 
arrived  in  Sarasota  in  1913  and  who, 
with  his  wife,  operated  Cecelia  Levy 
&  Company  women's  clothing  store. 
Another  founder,  Joe  Idelson, 
established  the  Sarasota  Department 
Store  on  Main  Street  in  the  1920s. 
Cattle  rancher  Simon  Rosin,  mayor 
of  Arcadia,  is  buried  in  the  cemetery, 
as  is  his  son,  Marcus  Aurel  Rosin,  a 
Sarasota  city  attorney  and  president 
of  the  Florida  State  Elks  Association 
from  1949-1950. 

Van  Wezel  Performing  Arts  Hall 
777  North  Tamiami  Trail  34236-4047 
(941)  953-3366 

Lewis  and  Eugenia  Van  Wezel,  a 
prominent  Jewish  couple  of  Sarasota, 
devoted  themselves  to  Sarasota's 
civic  improvement.  The  distinctive 
purple-colored  building  that  bears 
their  name  was  designed  by  follow- 
ers of  Frank  Lloyd  Wright  and 
opened  in  1970.  Among  its  displayed 
sculptures  is  The  Chase  of  the  Sea 
Urchin  by  Jewish  sculptor  Frank 
Eliscu  of  Siesta  Key,  who  also  de- 
signed the  Presidential  Eagle  in  the 
White  House  Oval  Office  and 
football's  Heisman  Trophy. 


Edwards  Theater 
(Sarasota  Opera  House) 


Cape  Coral  Historical  Society 


DeSoto  County 

Arcadia 

Simon  Rosin  Arcade 

101  West  Oak  Street  34226 

Jewish  cattleman  Simon  Rosin  came 
to  Arcadia  in  1905  and  the  next  year 
opened  the  Boston  Store,  which 
occupied  the  Oak  Street  frontage.  He 
built  this  arcade  in  1927,  allowing  the 
city's  post  office  to  be  accessed 
through  the  arcade  entrances.  Rosin 
also  served  as  mayor  of  Arcadia  in 
1919  and  established  a  4,500-acre 
cattle  ranch. 

Schlossberg  Building  (Schlossberg 

Camp  Building) 

1-19  West  Magnolia  Street  34226 

M.  Schlossberg,  known  only  by  his 
first  initial,  was  a  prominent  busi- 
nessman who  lived  in  Arcadia  by 
1915.  He  owned  Schlossberg's 
Department  Store  (a  five-and-dime) 
and  built  a  row  of  businesses  along 
the  south  side  of  West  Oak  Street 
between  Monroe  and  Orange  Av- 
enues. He  built  this  colorful  building 
in  the  late  1920s  for  the  Plaza  Hotel. 
The  downtown  historic  district  also 
includes: 


Schlossberg-Graystone  Building, 
23-25  West  Magnolia  Street; 
Schlossberg  Building,  41-47  West 
Magnolia  Street. 

Lee  County 

Fort  Myers 

Fort  Myers  Historical  Museum 
2300  Peck  Street  33901 
(941)  332-5955 

Fort  Myers  was  named  for  Colonel 
Abraham  C.  Myers  by  his  command- 
ing officer  and  future  father-in-law, 
General  David  E.  Twiggs.  Myers  was 
a  great-grandson  of  Moses  Cohen, 
who  served  as  the  first  rabbi  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina.  A 
graduate  of  West  Point,  Myers  was 
chief  quartermaster  for  Florida 
troops  during  the  Second  Seminole 
War  and  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Brooke,  located  in  what  is  now 
downtown  Tampa.  Myers  later 
served  as  quartermaster  for  the 
Confederacy.  Myers  and  Twiggs' 
daughter  Marion  were  married  in 
1853.  A  wall  display  at  the  museum 
relates  their  story. 


Cape  Coral 

Cape  Coral  Historical  Society 
544  Cultural  Park  Boulevard  33990- 
1212  (941)  772-7037 
The  historical  society  occupies  the 
pro  shop  built  by  Leonard  and  Jack 
Rosen  for  their  Cape  Coral  Golf  and 
Tennis  Resort.  The  Rosens  founded 
Cape  Coral  in  1957  and  developed  it 
as  a  "drawing-board  city."  Today 
Cape  Coral  ranks  behind  Jacksonville 
as  the  state's  second  largest  city  in 
terms  of  area.  The  historical  society's 
collection  includes  photographs, 
archives,  and  artifacts  detailing  the 
Cape  Coral  building  phases.  It 
includes  a  large  selection  of  promo- 
tional memorabilia  created  by  the 
Rosens  for  their  city. 

Original  Houses  and  Yacht  Club 
Driftwood  Parkway,  between  Lenox 
Court  and  Flamingo  Drive  33990 

A  plaque  erected  by  the  Cape  Coral 
Historical  Society  on  the  road 
leading  to  the  Yacht  Club  directs 
visitors  to  Cape  Coral's  eight  original 
houses.  The  Rosens  gave  a  Yacht 
Club  membership  to  everyone  who 
bought  a  house  in  Cape  Coral. 
Another  marker-a  large  bronze 
plaque  on  a  pedestal-is  located  in 
front  of  City  Hall  (815  Nicholas 
Parkway).  Pictures  of  Jack  and 
Leonard  Rosen  hang  inside  City  Hall. 


27 


J 


Timeline  Of  Some  Significant  Dates  In 
Florida  Jewish  History 


1565  Conversos  may  have  been 
members  of  the  Spanish  population 
of  St.  Augustine.  Conversos  were 
new  Christians  who  had  been  forced 
to  convert  by  the  Inquisition. 

1763  Documented  Jewish  history 
begins  in  Florida,  in  Pensacola,  when 
Spain  relinquished  Florida  to  Britain 
and  Jews  were  allowed  to  own  land 
and  live  in  Florida. 

1821  Moses  Elias  Levy  arrives  in 
Central  Florida  to  start  a  plantation 
as  a  Jewish  colony  and  becomes  a 
founder  of  Micanopy.  Samuel  and 
Louisa  Myers  arrive  in  Pensacola 
where  he  practices  law,  helps  orga- 
nize the  local  militia,  and  serves  on 
the  city  council.  The  next  year, 
Louisa  Myers  has  a  daughter,  the 
first  documented  Jewish  birth  in  the 
state. 

1836  West  Point  graduate  Abraham 
C.  Myers  serves  as  quartermaster 
during  the  Seminole  Indian  Wars. 
The  city  of  Fort  Myers  bears  his 
name. 

1845  Florida  becomes  the  27th  state 
in  the  Union;  David  Levy  Yulee,  a 
signer  of  the  state's  first  constitution, 
is  elected  as  a  United  States  Senator. 


The  Jewish  population  in  Florida  is 
estimated  to  be  100. 

1857  In  Jacksonville,  a  Jewish  cem- 
etery is  established.  That  same  year, 
George  Dzialynski  is  the  first  [docu- 
mented] Jewish  boy  born  in  Florida. 

1876  Temple  Beth  El  of  Pensacola 
becomes  the  first  Jewish  congrega- 
tion in  Florida. 

1879  Henry  Brash  elected  Mayor  of 
Marianna  is  the  first  known  Florida 
Jewish  mayor  of  a  list  now  including 
more  than  100  Jewish  mayors 
throughout  the  state.  (See  page  42  for 
List  of  Jewish  Mayors  in  Florida.) 

1890  Jewish  population  in  Florida 
will  reach  2,500  during  this  decade. 

1893  Jews  begin  to  settle  in 
Southeast  Florida,  following  Henry 
Flagler's  new  railroad. 

1916  Max  Lehrman  had  married 
Rose  Seitlin  in  Miami  in  1913  and 
settled  in  Ft.  Lauderdale  with  his 
family  as  Broward  County's  first 
known  Jews.  Their  four  children 
were  the  first  known  born  in  Dade 
County  and  in  Broward  County  and 


his  store  was  the  earliest  Jewish- 
owned  in  Ft.  Lauderdale. 

1933  David  Sholtz  of  Daytona  Beach 
is  elected  Governor  of  Florida. 

1941  Ellis  Zacharias  of  Jacksonville, 
Chief  of  Naval  Intelligence,  helps 
break  the  Japanese  code  leading  to 
the  U.S.  victory  in  the  Pacific  during 
World  War  II. 

1950  The  Jewish  population  is 
estimated  to  be  70,000.  In  1959 
approximately  10,000  Cuban  Jews 
find  freedom  in  South  Florida. 

1968  Marshall  W.  Nirenberg  of 
Orlando  is  awarded  the  Nobel  Prize 
in  Medicine  and  Physiology  for  his 
part  in  breaking  the  generic  code. 

1974  Third-generation  Floridian, 
Richard  Stone,  is  elected  United 
States  Senator  from  Florida. 

1990  MOSAIC,  Jewish  Life  in  Florida 
traveling  exhibit  opens  as  the  first 
comprehensive  overview  of  the 
Florida  Jewish  experience  since  1763. 
Gwen  Margolis  is  the  first  woman 
president  of  the  Florida  Senate. 

1995  JEWISH  MUSEUM  OF 
FLORIDA  opens.  Florida's  Jewish 
population  is  about  800,000  by  2000. 


i —     1 565  Conversos 

Moses  Elias  Levy 
1821 


David  Levy  Yulee 
Elected  Senator 
1845 


David  Sholtz 
Elected  Governor 


JEWISH  MUSEUM 
OF  FL  Opens  1995 


1933  — 

Temple  Beth  El 
Pensacola,  1876 


Richard  Stone  — i 
Elected  Senator 
1974 


1763  Jewish 
Land  Owners  


Abraham  — 
Myers  1 836 
Hero  Seminole  Wars 


George 
Dzialynski 
born  1857 


Henry  Brash 
Elected,  1879. 


J 


Ellis  Zacharias 
Breaks  Code,  1941 
Marshall  Nirenberg 
Awarded  Nobel  Prize1968 
Jews  Settle 
—  SE  Florida,  1893 


MOSAIC 
Opens/  — 
Gwen  Margolis 
Pres.  of  Florida 
Senate,  1990 


(1)-  Rodeph  Sholom  Synagogue 

(2)  -  Knesses  Yisroale  Synagogue 

(3)  -  (Meyer)  Kisler  Pharmacy 

(4)  -  YMHA 

(5)  -     American  Pipe  &  Plumbing  (Irv  &  Roy 

Salsbury) 

(6)  -      House  of  a  Million  Auto  Parts  (Phil 

Grubstein  &  George  Ichil) 

(7)  -      Milchman  Kosher  Deli 

(8)  -     William  Bass  Scrap  Metals 

(9)  -      Grocery  (front)  Printing  (rear)  (Julius 

Silverman) 

(10)  -    Finman  Kosher  Market 

(11)-    Elozory  Furniture  Store 

(12)  -    Blue  Ribbon  Supermarket  (Bobo 
Families) 

(13)-    Tick  /Reznick  Bags  &  Drums 

(14)-    (2nd  Ybor  Post  Office)  Hallmark 
Emblems  (Klein,  Weissmans,  etc.) 

(15)  -    West  Coast  Army  Store  (became 

Fremacs  Mens  Wear)  (Fred  &  Mack 
Perlman  and  Sam,  Alex,  &  Milton 
Bokor) 

(16)  -  (Max)  Star  Grocery 

(17)  -  Max  Argintar  Pawn  &  Clothing/ 

Martin's  Uniforms 

(18)  -  Adam  Katz  Family  Clothing  (Harry 

Wilderman) 

(19)  -  Liberty  Mens  Store  (Abe  Herscovitz) 

(20)  -  Curtis  Gimpel,  Office  Machines 

(21)  -  Dr.  I.  Einbinder,  Dentist  (upstairs) 

(22)  -  Blue  Ribbon  Supermarket 

(23)  -  Isadore  Davis  Department  Store 

(24)  -  Rophies  Mens  Wear 

(25)  -  Adorable  Hat  Store  (Tillye  Simovitz/ 

Waltzer/Freedman) 

(26)  -    Rainbow  Mens  Wear  (Abe  &  Sam 

Verkauf) 

(27)  -    Isadore  Segall  Ladies  Wear 

(28)  -    Isadore  Segall  Ladies  Wear 


(29)  -    Russells  Ladies  Wear  (Russell  &  Jean 

Bernheim) 

(30)  -    David  Kasriel  Dept.  Store /The  Jewel 

Box  (Buddy  Levine;  then  Dave  Kartt) 

(31)  -    Louis  Wohl  Household  Supplies /The 

Palace  (Louis  &  Mark  Shine) 

(32)  -  Max  (&  Sam)  Argintar  Mens  Wear 

(33)  -  Rophies  Linens 

(34)  -  Joseph  Kasriels  Ladies  Dept.  Store 

(35)  -  Louis  Wohl  &  Sons  Restaurant  Supply 

(36)  -  Weber  Ladies  Uniform  Dress  Mfg. 

(37)  -  United  Shoe  Store  (Leon  Woolfe) 

(38)  -    Ida's  Ladies  Ready  to  Wear  (Max  &  Ida 

Goodrich)  The  Palace 

(39)  -    Economy  Ladies  Wear  (Oscar  Poller) 

(40)  -    Rippa  Ladies  Wear  (Bob  Rippa's 

Grandfather) 

(41)  -    Haber's  Ladies  Wear  (Bob  Rippa's 

Grandfather) 

(42)  -    David  Stein  Furniture  Co. 

(43)  -    Abe  Wolf  son  Mens  Wear 

(44)  -    Pollers  Ladies  Wear  (Nathan  Poller) 

(45)  -    Wolfson's  Trimming  Store  (Adam 

Wolfson  &  Son,  William) 

(46)  -    Modern  Home  Furnishings  (Louis 

Buchman  &  Son  "Booky") 

(47)  -    Manuel  Aronovitz  Store 

(48)  -    Herman  Aronovitz  Clothing  Store/ 

(Buddy)  Arnold's  Shoes  &  Art  Supply 

(49)  -    Dayan  Linens  (Victor  Dayan) 

(50)  -    Dayan  Linens  (Nissam  Day) 

(51 )  -    Little  Katz  Fabrics  (Fannie  Katz  & 

nephew  Irving)  Edwards  Childrens 
Store  (Morris  Weisman  &  Son,  Edward) 

(52)  -    Steinberg's 

(53)  -    Ike  Weiss  Department  Store /Sunshine 

Department  Store/ Manuel  Leibovitz  & 
Sons 

(54)  -    Milton  Schwartz  Tire  Co. 

(55)  -    Sunshine  Department  Store 

(56)  -    Philip  Weissman  Clothing 


(57)  -    Philip  Weissman  Clothing 

(58)  -    Louie's  Department  Store  (Soloman 

Simovitz  &  Sons) 

(59)  -    Buchman's  Department  Store  &  Royal 

Palm  Window  Shades  (Jacob  Buchman 
Family) 

(60)  -    Martin's  Uniforms  (Spicola) 

(61)  -    Red  Globe  Store  (Joseph  Weissman) 

Martin  Uniforms  (Howard  &  Irving 
Weissman) 

(62)  -    Royal  Palm  Window  Shades/ Martin's 

Uniforms 

(63)  -    Leader  Dry  Goods  &  Notions  (Toba 

Margolis  &  Daughter  Cecelia) 
Milchman  Watch  &  Jewelry  Repair 

(64)  -    Red  Globe  Store /  A  &  Z  Restaurant 

Supply  (Anton  &  Zack) 

(65)  -    Julius  &  Fannie  Buckman  Store 

(66)  -    Sam  Hartzman  (2nd  Hand  Suits) 

(67)  -    Weissman  Clothing  Store;  then  to 

Martins  Uniforms 

(68)  -    Charles  Haimovitz  Mens  Store  (Barney 

Haimes'  Father) 

(69)  -    The  Leader  Clothing  Store  (Hyman 

Golden) 

(70)  -    Corona  Brush  Co.  (Gregory  &  David 

Waksman) 

(71)-    Louis  Markovitz  Clothing 

(72)  -    Ozias  Meerovitz  Mens  Store 

(73)  -    Tampa  Typewriter  Service  (Martin 

Haas) 

(74)  -    Southern  Iron  &  Bag  (Louis  Gordon) 

(75)  -    Peretzman  Scrap  Iron  &  Metal 

(76)  -    Zack  Restaurant  Supply 

(77)  -    Hillsborough  Plumbing  Supply 

(William  &  Bootsie  Oster) 

(78)  -    Anton  Restaurant  Supply 

(79)  -    (Leo)  Chardkoff  Bag  Co. 

(80)  -    A  &  Z  Restaurant  Supply 

(81)  -    West  Coast  Salvage  &  Iron  (Sidney 

Bernstein) 

(82)  -    West  Coast  Salvage  &  Iron  (Sidney 

Bernstein) 


29 


Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail  Sites 


Northwest  Florida 
Pensacola 

1 .  Lewis  Bear  Block  -  page  5 

2.  Temple  Beth  El  (Reform)  -  page  5 

3.  Beth  El  Cemetery  -  page  5 

4.  B'nai  Israel  Synagogue  -  page  5 

5.  Miss  Gerty  Goldschmidt's  Boarding 
1  louse-  page  5 

6.  North  Hill  Preservation  District  -  page  5 

7.  Progress  Club  -  page  6 

Apalachicola 

8.  Henry  Brash  House  -  page  6 

Port  St.  Joe 

9.  Constitution  Convention  State  Museum  - 
page  6 

QUINCY 

10.  Former  Packing  House  -  page  6 

11 .  Hillcrest  Cemetery,  Jewish  Section  - 
page  6 

12.  Max  Wedeles  House  -  page  6 

13.  Weinberg  Tobacco  Company  -  page  6 

Tallahassee 

14.  Florida  Photographic  Collection  -  page  7 

15.  Jewish  Cemetery  -  page  7 

16.  Robert  Manning  Strozier  Library  -  page  8 

17.  Temple  Israel  (Reform)  -  page  8 

18.  Alfred  Wahnish  Tobacco  Warehouse  & 
Cigar  Factory  -  page  8 

MONTICELLO 

19.  Simon  House  -  page  9 

Live  Oak 

20.  Howard  Street  Merchants  -  page  9 

Cedar  Key 

21.  Cedar  Key  Historical  Society  Museum  - 
page  9 

22.  Cedar  Key  State  Museum  -  page  9 

23.  The  Island  Hotel  -  page  9 

Northeast  Florida 
Fernandina  Beach 

24.  Amelia  Isl.  Museum  of  History  -  page  10 

25.  Nassau  County  Courthouse  -  page  10 

26.  Yulee  -  page  10 

Jacksonville 

27.  Old  City  Cemetery  -  page  1 0 

28.  Cohen  Brothers  Store  -  page  11 

29.  Florida  Theatre  -  page  11 

30.  Jacksonville  Jewish  Center  -  page  11 

31.  Ahavath  Chesed  and  B'nai  Israel 
Cemeteries  -  page  12 

32.  River  Garden  Hebrew  Home/Wolfson 
Health  and  Aging  Center  -  page  12 

33.  Workmen's  Circle  Branch  #441  -  page  12 

34.  LaVilla  Neighborhood  -  page  12 


M) 


35.  Young  Men's  Hebrew  Association  - 
page  13 

St.  Augustine 

36.  Congregation  Sons  of  Israel  -  page  13 

37.  Congregation  Sons  of  Israel  Cemetery 
page  13 


1t 
Pensacola 


61.  Moses  Clock  and  Park  -  page  18 

Maitland 

62.  Holocaust  Memorial  and  Resource 
Education  Center  -  page  19 

Orlando 

63.  Berman  House  -  page  19 


Port  St.  Joe 


Archer 

38.  Train  Depot,  Archer  Comm.  Museum  - 
page  13 

39.  Cottonwood  Plantation  -  page  13 

Gainesville 

40.  Gainesville  Walking  Tour  -  page  13 

41.  Masonic  Temple  -  page  14 

42.  Jewish  Cemetery  -  page  14 

43.  Matheson  Historical  Center  -  page  14 

44.  University  of  Florida  Sites  -  pages  14, 15 

Micanopy 

45.  Benjamin  Building  -  page  15 

46.  Micanopy  Historical  Society  Museum  - 
page  16 

Palatka 

47.  Calhoun  House  -  page  16 

48.  Loeb  House  -  page  16 

49.  Jacobson  House  -  page  16 

50.  Lilienthal  House  -  page  16 

51.  Meyer  House  -  page  16 

Central  and  Central  East 

Florida 

Ocala 

52.  Marcus  Frank  House  -  page  17 

53.  Rheinauer  &  Brothers  First  Store  - 
page  17 

54.  United  Hebrews  of  Ocala  Cemetery - 
page  17 

55.  United  Hebrews  of  Ocala  Temple  - 
page  17 

Daytona  Beach 

56.  Beach  Street  Retailers  -  page  17 

57.  Thelma  Schlossberg  Room  -  page  17 

Cocoa 

58.  Rubin  Brothers  Dept.  Store  -  page  17 

Sanford 

59.  Jewish  Center  of  Sanford  -  page  18 

60.  Manuel  Jacobson's  Department  Store  - 
page  18 


■jBr^  Apalachicola        ^1 


64.  Dr.  P.  Phillips'  Original  Home  - 
page  19 

65.  Mennello  Museum  of  American  Folk  Art  - 
page  20 

66.  Ohev  Shalom  Cemetery  -  page  20 

67.  Three  Former  Synagogues  -  pages  20,  21 

Lakeland 

68.  Munn  Historic  District  -  page  21 

69.  Marble  Arcade  Building  -  page  21 

70.  Nathan  and  Leonard  Wolf  Citrus  Groves  - 
page  21 

71.  Original  Temple  Emanuel  (Conservative) 
-  page  21 

72.  Temple  Emanuel  St.  Peterst 
(Conservative)  -  page  21 

73.  Wolfson's  Famous  Stores  -  page  21 

74.  Wolfson's  Drug  Store  -  page  22 

Sebring 

75.  Kahn's  Department  Store  -  page  22 

76.  Jewish  Section,  Sebring  Municipal 
Cemetery  -  page  22 

Stuart 

77.  Old  Martin  County  Court  House  - 
page  22 

Central  West  and  Southwest 
Florida 

HOMOSASSA 

78.  Yulee  Sugar  Mill  Ruins  State  Historic  Site 
and  Park  -  page  23 

Clearwater 

79.  Holocaust  Memorial  at  Temple  B'nai 
Israel  (Reform)  -  page  23 

80.  Sylvan  Abbey  Memorial  Park,  Jewish 
Section  -  page  23 

St.  Petersburg 

81 .  Florida  Holocaust  Museum  -  page  23 

82.  Maas  Brothers  Dept.  Store  -  page  23 


83.  Temple  Beth  El  (Reform)  -  page  24 

Plant  City 

84.  Wishnatzki  and  Nathel  Srawberries  - 
page  24 


Amelia  Island 


Jacksonville 


St.  Augustine 


Dayton  a 


75&76^ 


99&100 


1014- 
ti03h 


133-138^- •' 

KeyWest 


. 


Boca  Ra 
104-1091 


El.  Lauderdale 


Tampa 

85.  Jewish  Merchants  of  Franklin  Street  - 
page  24 

86.  Maas  Brothers  -  page  24 

87.  Daisy  G.  Waterman  Lighthouse  for  the 
Blind  -  page  24 

88.  Schaarai  Zedek  (Reform)  -  page  24 

89.  Tampa  Bay  History  Center  -  page  24 

90.  Woodlawn  Cemetery  -  page  25 

91 .  Ybor  City  Walking  Tour  -  pgs  25  &  29 

92.  Standard  Cigar  Corporation  -  page  25 

93.  Young  Men's  Hebrew  Assn.  -  page  26 

Ellenton 

94.  Gamble  Mansion  and  Judah  P.  Benjamin 
Confederate  Memorial  State  Historic  Site 
-  page  26 

Sarasota 

95.  Edwards  Theater  -  page  26 

96.  Temple  Beth  Shalom  (Conservative)  - 
page  26 

97.  Temple  Beth  Shalom  Cemetery  -  page  26 

98.  Van  Wezel  Performing  Arts  Hall  - 
page  26 

Arcadia 

99.  Simon  Rosin  Arcade  -  page  27 

100.  Schlossberg  Building  -  page  27 

Fort  Myers 

101.        Fort  Myers  Hist.  Museum  -  page  27 

Cape  Coral 

102.    Cape  Coral  Historical  Society  - 
page  27 

103.  Original  Houses  and  Yacht  Club  - 
page  27 

Southeast  Florida 

Belle  Glade 

104.  Temple  Beth  Shalom  -  page  32 

Boca  Raton 

105.  Boca  Raton  Resort  &  Club  - 
page  32 

106.  Molly  S.  Fraiberg  Judaica 
Collections  (FAU)  -  page  33 

107.  Temple  Beth  El  (Reform)  - 
page  33 

West  Palm  Beach 

108.  Temple  Israel  (Reform)  - 
page  33 

109.  Clematis  Street  Merchants  - 
page  33 

Cooper  City 

110.     American  Legion  Post  312  - 
page  34 

Fort  Lauderdale 

111.  B'nai  Israel  Section,  Evergreen  Cemetery  - 
page  34 

112.  Sterling's  Men  and  Boys  Store  -  page  34 


Hollywood 

113.  Morse  Arcade  -  page  34 

Pompano  Beach 

114.  Moe's  Pompano  Pharmacy  -  page  34 

Miami 

115.  Beth  David  Congregation  -  page  35 

116.  City  of  Miami  Cemetery  -  page  35 

117.  Cromer-Cassel  Dept.  Store  -  page  35 

118.  Mt.  Nebo  Cemetery  -  page  36 

119.  Temple  Israel  of  Greater  Miami  (Reform)  - 
page  36 

120.  WTVJ/ Capitol  Theater  -  page  36 

Miami  Beach 

121.  Blackstone  Hotel  -  page  37 

122.  Congregation  Beth  Jacob  -  page  37 

123.  Rabbi  Alexander  S.  Gross  Hebrew  - 
Academy  of  Greater  Miami-  page  37 

124.  Holocaust  Memorial  -  page  37 

125.  Joe's  Stone  Crab  Restaurant  -  page  37 

126.  Henri  Levy  Park  and  Fountain  -  page  37 

127.  Mt.  Sinai  Medical  Center  -  page  37 

128.  Temple  Beth  Shmuel  Cuban  Hebrew 
Congregation  of  Miami  (Conservative) 
-  page  38 

129.  Temple  Moses  Sephardic  Congregation  of 
Florida  (Orthodox)  -  page  38 

130.  Temple  Emanu-El  of  Greater  Miami 
(Conservative)  -  page  38 

131.  Rose  Weiss  Park  -  page  38 

132.  Wolfie's  Deli  -  page  39 

Key  West 

133.  Jewish  Merchants  on  Duval  Street  - 
page  40 

134.  Appel's  Department  Store  -  page  40 

135.  Appelrouth  Lane  -  page  40 

136.  Audubon  House  and  Gardens  -  page  40 

137.  B'nai  Zion  Congregation  -  page  40 

138.  City  Cemetery,  Jewish  Section  -  page  40 


Museums  of 
Miami  Beach 

Bass  Museum  -  Page  39 

The  Wolfsonian  (FIU)  - 
Page  39 

Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH 
MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA: 
Home  of  MOSAIC  -  Page  39 


31 


& 


Max  Hutkin 


Southeast  Florida 


Max  Hutkin  was  "Mr.  Boca 
Raton"-  so  named  for  his  many 
civic  contributions.  Hutkin  was 
born  in  1895,  the  son  of  Polish- 
Jewish  immigrants  who  settled 
in  St.  Louis.  In  1919  Hutkin 
married  Russian-born  Nettie 
Brown,  also  of  St.  Louis.  In  1936 
they  moved  to  the  small  town 
of  Boca  Raton.  There  they 
rented  a  building  on  the  Old 
Dixie  Highway  for  $5  a  month, 
hung  a  sign  in  the  window,  and 
opened  Hutkin's  Food  Market. 
The  Hutkins  and  a  few  of 
Nettie's  relatives  are  believed  to 
be  the  only  Jews  living  in  Boca 
Raton  until  after  World  War  II. 
Max  Hutkin  participated  in  the 
civic  life  of  his  adopted  town 
with  great  enthusiasm.  He  was 
a  volunteer  firefighter  for  14 
years,  Red  Cross  Disaster 
chairman  for  25  years,  and  the 
first  chair  of  Boca  Raton's 
Community  Relations  Board. 
He  also  co-founded  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  organized  the 
town's  first  Boy  Scout  Troop, 
and  founded  and  served  as 
president  of  the  local  Lions 
Club.  In  1967  Hutkin  helped 
organize  Temple  Beth  El,  the 
first  Jewish  congregation  in 
Boca  Raton,  and  served  as  an 
early  president.  Hutkin  became 
a  frequent  speaker  at  ground 
breakings  and  dedications.  "I 
stuck  my  finger  into  everything 
that  needed  it,"  he  said  in  an 
interview  in  1983  at  age  88. 
"That's  how  I  became  Mr.  Boca 
Raton.  I  made  Boca  Raton  my 
hobby."  Hutkin  died  in  1987. 


Palm  Beach 
County 

Belle  Glade 

Temple  Beth  Shalom 

224  Northwest  Avenue  G  33430 

(561)  996-3886 

Twenty-three  Jewish  families  living 
in  the  "Glades"-an  area  of  Belle 
Glade,  Pahokee,  and  Clewiston-built 
this  one-room  synagogue  in  1954. 

Boca  Raton 

Boca  Raton's  Jewish  population  is 
nearly  50  percent-the  highest  per- 
centage of  any  city  in  Florida.  This 
growth  occurred  slowly  after  World 
War  II  and  represents  a  phenomenal 
increase  that  started  with  the  two 
Jewish  families  known  to  have  lived 
in  the  city  before  the  war.  Harry  and 


Florence  Brown  arrived  in  1931, 
followed  by  his  sister  and  brother-in- 
law,  Nettie  and  Max  Hutkin,  in  1936. 

Boca  Raton  Resort  &  Club 

501  East  Camino  Real  33432-6127 

(561)  395-3000 

Originally  this  was  the  Cloister  Inn, 
an  exclusive,  restricted  resort  built  in 
1926  and  designed  by  Addison 
Mizner.  In  the  1940s,  hotel  magnate  J. 
Myer  Schine,  who  owned  other 
resort  hotels  such  as  the  Roney  Plaza 
on  Miami  Beach  and  the  Ritz-Carlton 
Hotel  of  Atlantic  City,  bought  the 
resort.  Schine  had  been  a  penniless 
immigrant  from  Latvia.  In  Boca 
Raton,  J.  Myer  and  his  wife, 
Hildegarde,  sponsored  art  exhibits  at 
the  resort.  Hildegarde  became  an 
organizer  of  the  Art  Guild,  which  is 
now  the  Boca  Raton  Museum  of  Art. 


32 


fl 


Molly  S.  Freiberg  Judaica  Collections, 
iberly  Library,  Boca  Raton 


Molly  S.  Fraiberg  Judaica  Collec- 
tions, S.  E.  Wimberly  Library, 
Florida  Atlantic  University 
777  Glades  Road  33431-0992 
(561)  297-3787  or  (561)  297-3742 
This  Judaica  library  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  southeastern  United 
States.  A  permanent  exhibit  features 
Isaac  Bashevis  Singer's  writing  desk, 
chairs,  and  lamp.  In  addition,  the 
library  has  the  1978  Nobel  Prize 
Laureate  in  Literature's  walking 
cane,  Panama  hat,  personal  photo- 
graphs, hundreds  of  his  books  and 
other  personal  artifacts,  some  of 
which  come  from  his  Florida  resi- 
dence. During  his  later  years,  Singer 
lived  in  Surfside  where  Isaac 
Bashevis  Singer  Boulevard  (95th 
Street)  was  named  for  him.  A  new 
permanent  exhibit  of  miniature  scale 
models  by  Albert  Barry  is  based  on 
the  wooden  synagogues  of  Poland. 
Appointments  are  preferred,  but 
limited  drop-in  hours  are  available. 
Call  for  details. 

Temple  Beth  El  (Reform) 

333  Southwest  4th  Avenue  33432 

(561)  391-8900 

Temple  Beth  El,  the  first  Jewish 
congregation  in  South  Palm  Beach 
County,  had  ecumenical  beginnings. 
The  congregation  was  founded  as  the 
Boca  Raton  Hebrew  Congregation  in 
1967  through  the  encouragement  of  a 
Roman  Catholic  nun.  Mother  de  la 
Croix,  president  of  Marymount 
College,  now  Lynn  University, 
invited  the  dozen  founding  families 


to  worship  on  her  campus.  Accord- 
ing to  congregational  lore,  Catholic 
nuns  at  one  time  outnumbered 
Jewish  worshippers  at  the  services. 
The  congregation's  first  bar  mitzvah 
was  held  at  the  next  site-a  Moravian 
church  at  the  corner  of  Palmetto  Park 
Road  and  12th  Avenue.  In  the  1970s, 
the  now-named  Temple  Beth  El  built 
this  synagogue  and  expanded  it  in 
1986.  The  membership  is  now  2,000 
families,  one  of  the  largest  Reform 
congregations  in  the  nation. 

West  Palm  Beach 

Temple  Israel  (Reform) 
1901  North  Flagler  Drive  33407 
(561)  833-8421 

This  was  the  first  Jewish  congrega- 
tion in  Palm  Beach  County.  Eight 
families  founded  it  as  Beth  Israel  in 
1923.  The  next  year,  the  congregation 
moved  into  a  synagogue  at  2020 
Broward,  where  it  remained  until 
1951  when  the  congregation,  now 
known  as  Temple  Israel,  moved  to 
Flagler  Drive,  its  current  location. 
Among  the  founders  of  Beth  Israel 
was  Joseph  Mandel,  who  served  as 
mayor  of  West  Palm  Beach  in  1923 
and  1924.  Another  founder  was  Max 
Sirkin,  a  produce  farmer  who  arrived 
in  1896  and  became  the  first  Jewish 
settler  in  West  Palm  Beach.  The 
present  sanctuary  is  tentlike  with 
stained  glass  windows  of  various 
shapes,  sizes,  and  depths  set  into 
thick  walls.  The  ark  doors  are  a 
stylized  tree  of  life  with  frosted  and 
clear  glass,  allowing  worshippers  to 
glimpse  the  Torahs  even  with  the 
doors  closed.  The  ark  itself  has  floor- 
to-ceiling  side  windows  that  bathe  it 
in  perpetual  light. 

Clematis  Street  Merchants 

Now  the  city's  lively  main  business 
street,  this  street  was  where  early 
Jewish  settlers  opened  retail  stores. 
By  the  early  1920s,  retail  stores 
included  Joseph  Schulpler's  hat 
store,  Cy  Argintar's  Men's  Shop  and 
Toby  and  Selma  Myers'  luggage 
business  (at  210  Clematis).  Another 
Clematis  Street  business,  Pioneer 
Linen  (329  Clematis),  evolved  from 


The  S.S.  St.  Louis 


On  May  13, 1939,  four  months 
before  Hitler  invaded  Poland,  the 
luxury  liner  S.S.  St.  Louis  sailed 
from  Hamburg,  Germany  bound 
for  Cuba  with  936  Jewish  passen- 
gers aboard.  All  the  Jewish  passen- 
gers believed  they  had  visas  to 
enter  Cuba.  They  had  paid  the 
Cuban  consulate  in  Germany 
inflated  fees  for  worthless  visas 
and  landing  permits.  Two  weeks 
later,  when  the  ship  arrived  in  the 
port  of  Havana,  disembarkation 
was  denied.  For  days,  fierce  but 
unsuccessful  negotiations  were 
held  while  the  ship  lingered  near 
Cuba.  The  ship  was  forced  to  sail 
north,  following  the  Florida 
coastline.  Florida  residents  and 
visitors  waited  in  hopeful  anticipa- 
tion. On  June  4,  the  ship  passed 
Miami  heading  north  and  then 
turned  south  again,  where  it  was 
met  by  a  much  larger  ship.  It  was 
U.S.  Coast  Guard  Cutter  244  from 
Fort  Lauderdale,  sent  to  thwart  the 
movements  of  the  S.S.  St.  Louis. 
On  June  5,  protestors  massed 
along  the  beaches  south  of  Las 
Olas  Boulevard  near  the  Coast 
Guard  Base.  The  cutter  stood  by 
the  S.S.  St.  Louis  as  it  moved 
slowly  down  the  coast  and  pre- 
vented refugees  from  jumping  off 
and  swimming  ashore.  The  S.S.  St 
Louis  then  anchored  off  Miami 
Beach.  On  June  7,  a  mass  protest 
took  place  in  Miami's  Bayfront 
Park.  The  protesters'  voices  went 
unheeded.  Later  that  day,  the  S.S. 
St.  Louis,  with  a  low  reserve  of 
food  and  water,  returned  to 
Germany.  Of  the  936  Jewish 
passengers,  approximately  30  were 
allowed  to  enter  Belgium,  France, 
Great  Britain,  and  the  Netherlands. 
The  remainder  returned  to  Ger- 
many. Only  one-fourth  of  the  total 
Jewish  passengers,  an  estimated 
240,  survived  the  Holocaust.  A  few 
of  these  survivors  reside  in  Florida. 


33 


& 


,\n  earlv  Lake  Worth  hardware 
busim !SS  founded  in  1912  by  Max 
c  Ireenberg. 

Broward  County 

Cooper  City 

American  Legion  Post  312 
9081  Southwest  50th  Street  33328 
(954)  434-0965 

Morris  Cooper's  rags-to-riches  story 
is  a  metaphor  for  the  immigrant 
experience  in  America.  This  Legion 
Post  was  built  on  land  he  donated, 
and  a  plaque  honoring  Morris  and 
Clara  Cooper  is  in  front.  The  Rus- 
sian-born Cooper  arrived  in  the 
United  States  in  1908  with  one  suit 
and  pocket  change.  He  went  to  work 
in  a  shirt  factory,  saving  50  cents  a 
week  from  his  $4  salary.  Within  four 
years  Cooper  owned  the  Imperial 
Shirt  Company,  a  New  Jersey  com- 
pany that  grew  to  nine  plants 
producing  720,000  shirts  per  week. 
Cooper  began  visiting  Florida  and 
buying  citrus  groves.  In  1958  Cooper 
sold  the  shirt  company,  retired  to 
Florida,  and  set  about  creating  his 
dream  city.  By  the  time  he  died  in 
1975  at  the  age  of  82,  Cooper  City 
was  thriving.  Cooper  was  buried 


with  a  Cooper  City  flag  at  Mt.  Nebo 
Cemetery  in  Miami.  The  city  re- 
named 90th  Avenue  Morris  Cooper 
Drive  in  his  honor. 

Fort  Lauderdale 

B'nai  Israel  Section,  Evergreen 
Cemetery,  1300  Southeast  10th 
Avenue  33315  (954)  527-0227 
Established  in  1926,  the  Jewish 
cemetery  section  is  marked  by  a 
white  archway  bearing  the  words 
B'nai  Israel  (Children  of  Israel). 
Members  of  the  Fort  Lauderdale 
Hebrew  Congregation  dedicated  it  in 
1935  and  later  renamed  it  Temple 
Emanu-El.  Many  of  the  congregation's 
founders  are  buried  here.  They 
include  Moe  Katz,  believed  to  have 
received  the  first  state-issued  real 
estate  license;  his  brother  Mack, 
whose  Mack's  Ladies'  Shop  was 
reputed  to  be  the  first  women's 
clothing  store  in  town;  and  Mack's 
wife,  Sadye,  who  helped  spearhead 
building  campaigns  for  Fort 
Lauderdale's  War  Memorial  Audito- 
rium and  Holy  Cross  Hospital.  Also 
buried  here  are  Abe  Markowitz,  who 
resisted  pressure  to  change  his 
Markowitz  Plumbing  sign  to  some- 
thing less  Jewish  sounding;  Louis 


and  Esther  Sandler  who  owned  a 
wholesale  produce  business;  and  the 
Nankin,  Newman,  Robbins,  and 
Sterling  families,  all  of  whom  owned 
and  operated  popular  clothing  and 
shoe  stores  downtown  from  the 
1920s  and  the  1930s. 

Sterling's  Men  and  Boys  Store 
(Now  the  Florida  Department  of 
Environmental  Protection)  218 
Southwest  1st  Avenue  33301 
Isadore  "Pop"  A.  Sterling  ran  Fort 
Lauderdale's  first  Sterling  Store, 
founded  in  1935,  in  a  converted 
garage  on  Andrews  Avenue.  By  the 
early  1940s,  he  operated  Sterling's 
Men's  and  Boys  Store  at  this  site.  Pop 
became  a  town  legend,  widely 
known  for  his  generosity  and  civic 
participation. 

Hollywood 

Morse  Arcade 

1926  Hollywood  Boulevard  33030- 

4532 

Hollywood's  first  Jewish  services 
were  held  in  this  1926  arcade,  which 
is  one  of  the  city's  oldest  commercial 
buildings.  The  Jewish  Community 
Center  of  Hollywood,  chartered  in 
1942,  met  in  a  rear  storefront.  Today 
the  Conservative  congregation  is 
known  as  Temple  Sinai  of  Holly- 
wood and  is  located  at  1440  North 
46th  Avenue. 

Pompano  Beach 

Pompano  Beach  is  the  home  of  one  of 
the  oldest  Jewish  communities  in 
Broward  County.  The  first  congrega- 
tion, the  Pompano  Beach  Jewish 
Circle,  today  Temple  Sholom,  began 
in  1945. 

Moe's  Pompano  Pharmacy 
45  Northeast  1st  Street  33060 
Abraham  and  Lena  Hirshman  came 
to  Pompano  Beach  in  the  late  1920s 
and  opened  the  Bon  Ton  Department 
Store,  the  first  Jewish-owned  busi- 
ness in  town,  at  31  Northeast  1st 
Street.  Abe's  younger  brother, 
Morris,  his  wife  Goldie  and  their 
daughter  joined  them  in  1934.  Morris 
established  his  first  pharmacy  at  this 


i-  ($  a  . 


<Tf         ^ 


Temple  Israel  of  Greater  Miami 


location.  He  later  built  a  store  at  60 
Northeast  1st  Street,  which  is  still 
known  as  the  Pompano  Pharmacy. 

Dade  County 

Miami 

Beth  David  Congregation 

(Conservative) 

2625  Southwest  3rd  Avenue  33129 

(305)  854-3911 

Greater  Miami's  first  Jewish  congre- 
gation was  founded  in  1912  as  B'nai 
Zion,  named  for  its  founder,  Morris 
Zion.  Max  Lehrman  arrived  in 
Florida  in  1905  and  married  Rose 
Seitlin  in  1913.  Their  wedding,  the 
first  recorded  Jewish  marriage  in 
Greater  Miami,  took  place  at  the 
home  of  Morris  Zion.  Their  first 
baby,  Nell,  born  in  1914,  is  believed 
to  be  the  first  Jewish  girl  born  in 
Miami.  In  1916  they  moved  to  Fort 
Lauderdale,  the  year  Rose  gave  birth 
to  Sarah,  who  is  believed  to  be  the 
first  Jewish  baby  born  in  Fort  Lau- 
derdale. In  1916  the  congregation 
was  renamed  Beth  David  to  honor 
David  Afremow,  a  department  store 
owner  who  donated  $5,000  to  the 
congregation.  In  1949  Beth  David 
moved  to  its  present  location.  Inside, 
the  Beck  Museum  of  Judaica  features 


M  !H*  '< 


some  3,000-year-old  antiquities,  a 
17th-century  Persian  Torah,  and  two 
bas-reliefs  by  Kenneth  Treister, 
designer  of  the  Holocaust  Memorial 
on  Miami  Beach. 

City  of  Miami  Cemetery 
1800  Northeast  2nd  Avenue  33132 
(305)  358-9572 

This  public  cemetery  dates  from 
1897.  The  walled-in  Jewish  section 
(Block  41)  was  founded  in  1915.  The 
last  Jewish  burial  was  held  in  1964 
but  most  of  the  graves  date  from  the 
1920s  and  1930s.  Temple  Israel, 
located  across  the  street,  and  the 
Dade  Heritage  Trust  work  together 
to  preserve  the  cemetery. 

Cromer-Cassel  Department  Store 
(Metromall)  1  Northeast  1st  Street 
33132-2433  (305)  373-5004 

Daniel  Cromer,  a  Jewish  immigrant 
from  Scotland,  came  to  Miami  in 
1913  and  purchased  a  store  from  his 
brother-in-law  David  Afremow. 
Cromer  and  his  partner,  Irwin  M. 
Cassel,  sold  merchandise  ranging 
from  straight  pins  to  motor  boats.  In 
1926,  they  built  a  new  store  full  of  the 
most  modern  of  conveniences. 
Cromer-Cassel's  $5.25  million 
department  store  opened  to  much 
fanfare  on  May  28,  1926.  The  festivi- 
ties began  at  6  p.m.  when  Herbert 


Isidor  Cohen 

Isidor  Cohen  was  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  Miami,  the  first 
permanent  Jewish  settler,  and  a 
signatory  to  the  city's  charter.  Born 
in  Russia  in  1870,  Cohen  emi- 
grated to  New  York  with  his 
family  in  1883.  Eight  years  later  he 
moved  to  Savannah,  Georgia, 
where  he  worked  as  a  store  clerk 
and  became  a  U.S.  citizen.  In  1896 
he  moved  to  Miami  where  he 
opened  a  dry  goods  store. 

Cohen  battled  a  freeze  in  1895,  a 
fire  in  1896  that  wiped  out  his 
entire  stock,  and  a  siege  of  yellow 
fever  in  1899.  By  Cohen's  account, 
only  three  Jews  resided  in  Miami 
in  1900,  including  himself  and 
Jacob  and  Ida  Schneidman.  The 
other  early  arrivals  had  fled  to 
safer  places.  In  1905  Cohen  married 
the  widowed  Ida  Schneidman.  He 
organized  the  Merchants  Associa- 
tion of  Miami  and  was  its  presi- 
dent from  1902  to  1906.  He  also 
served  as  president  of  the  Dade 
County  Fair  Association  in  1908 
and  president  of  the  Miami  Board 
of  Trade  in  1912.  In  1921,  Cohen 
was  elected  to  the  city's  15- 
member  board  that  wrote  the 
Miami  City  Charter.  Cohen  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  B'nai  Zion 
Congregation  (later  called  Beth 
David)  founded  in  1912  as  the  first 
Jewish  congregation  in  Miami. 
Isidor  Cohen  died  in  1951. 


35 


Miami  Beach  (Art  Deco) 
Architectural  District 


Miami  Beach's  famed  Architectural 
District  contains  the  largest  collec- 
tion of  1930s  Art  Deco  and  Art 
Moderne  buildings  in  the  nation. 
The  square-mile  district  is  bounded 
by  5th  Street  to  23rd  Street,  Lenox 
Avenue  to  Ocean  Drive.  A  Jewish 
woman,  Barbara  Baer  Capitman 
(1920-1990),  launched  the  campaign 
that  established  the  district  and 
saved  the  architectural  gems  of 
South  Beach.  Through  her  efforts, 
South  Beach  became  the  first  20th- 
century  district  in  the  National 
Register  of  Historic  Places.  Tenth 
Street  has  been  renamed  Barbara 
Baer  Capitman  Street  to  honor  her 
memory. 

Another  Jew,  designer  Leonard 
Horowitz  (1954-1989),  transformed 
approximately  150  buildings  in  the 
district  with  his  "Deco  Dazzle," 
applying  bright  colors  to  buildings 
that  were  originally  white  with 
limited  color  trim.  The  Beacon 
Hotel  on  Ocean  Drive  between  7th 
and  8th  Streets  is  an  example  of 
Horowitz's  creativity.  Eleventh 
Street  has  been  renamed  Leonard 
Horowitz  Place  in  his  honor. 


Henry  Hohauser  (1895-1963)  was  a 
leading  architect  of  the  Art  Deco 
style,  and  examples  of  his  work  can 
be  seen  throughout  the  district.  The 
Cardozo  Hotel  (1300  Ocean  Drive) 
was  designed  by  Hohauser  in  1939 
and  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
examples  of  the  Streamline  influ- 
ence in  Art  Deco  design.  The  hotel 
was  named  for  a  Jewish  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  Benjamin 
Cardozo. 

Other  buildings  designed  by 
Hohauser  on  Ocean  Drive  include 
the  Park  Central  Hotel  north  of  6th 
Street;  the  Colony  Hotel,  between 
7th  and  8th  Streets;  and  the  Edison 
at  10th  Street.  Hohauser  was  also 
the  architect  of  Congregation  Beth 
Jacob's  second  synagogue  that  now 
houses  the  Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH 
MUSEUM  OF  FLORIDA,  at  301 
Washington  Avenue. 


Hoover,  then  U.S.  Secretary  of 
Commerce,  pressed  a  button  in 
Washington,  D.C.  that,  via  Western 
Union,  unlocked  the  store's  main 
entrance.  The  nine-story  building 
featured  escalators  between  the  first 
and  third  floors,  perhaps  a  first  for 
Miami.  Twenty-foot  ceilings  and 
Circassian  walnut  paneling  graced 
the  main  floor.  Upper  floors  were 
detailed  in  gray  oak  and  mahogany. 
The  store  was  severely  damaged  by 
the  1926  hurricane  and  was  further 
crippled  by  the  Depression.  Unable 
to  recover,  Cromer-Cassel  closed  in 
the  early  1930s.  Today  the  building 
houses  the  Metromall. 

Mt.  Nebo  Cemetery 
5505  Northwest  3rd  Street  33126 
(305)  261-7612 

In  use  since  the  1940s,  this  cemetery 
is  the  oldest  stand-alone  Jewish 
cemetery  in  Dade  County.  Among  its 
thousands  of  gravesites  are  those  for 
Isidor  Cohen,  recognized  as  the  first 
permanent  Jewish  resident  of  Miami; 
Morris  Cooper,  founder  of  Cooper 
City;  and  Meyer  Lansky,  a  known 
member  of  organized  crime. 

Temple  Israel  of  Greater  Miami 

(Reform) 

137  Northeast  19th  Street  33132 

(305)  573-5900 

Temple  Israel,  the  first  Reform  and 
second-oldest  Jewish  congregation  in 
Miami,  was  founded  in  1922  and 
moved  here  in  1928.  The  synagogue 
complex  is  highly  regarded  for  its 
architecture.  The  Nathan  and  Sophie 
Gumenick  Chapel,  dedicated  in  1969, 
was  designed  by  congregant  Ken- 
neth Treister.  Temple  Israel  also  has 
gardens  that  are  adorned  with  plants 
mentioned  in  the  Bible. 

WTVJ/Capitol  Theater 

316  North  Miami  Avenue  33128-1800 

(305)  379-6666 

The  Capitol  Theater  opened  in  1926 
as  the  first  of  the  Wometco  Theater 
chain,  a  company  founded  by 
Mitchell  Wolfson,  Sr.,  and  his 
brother-in-law,  Sidney  Meyer.  In 
1949,  the  Capitol  was  converted  into 
the  studios  of  WTVJ,  Florida's  first 


6 


TV  station.  Wolfson,  son  of  Key  West 
pioneers,  was  the  first  Jewish  mayor 
of  Miami  Beach. 

Miami  Beach 

Blackstone  Hotel 

800-808  Washington  Avenue  33139- 

0800 

Nathan  Stone  built  the  Blackstone 
Hotel  in  1930.  It  provided  a  place  for 
Jews  to  stay  at  a  time  when  "Re- 
stricted Clientele"  signs  were  preva- 
lent elsewhere  along  the  Beach.  In 
1954,  under  the  management  of 
Nathan's  son  Alfred,  the  hotel  broke 
the  color  barrier  by  hosting  a  black 
Baptist  convention.  Richard  Stone, 
Alfred's  son,  served  as  Florida's 
Secretary  of  State  (1972-1974)  and 
U.S.  Senator  (1974-1980). 

Congregation  Beth  Jacob 

(Orthodox) 

311  Washington  Avenue,  33139  (305) 

672-6150 

Beth  Jacob  was  the  first  Jewish 
congregation  founded  on  Miami 
Beach  (1927)  and  is  its  oldest  syna- 
gogue (1929).  It  was  located  well 
south  of  5th  Street,  the  northernmost 
boundary  of  where  Jews  were 
allowed  to  settle.  In  1936,  the  congre- 
gation built  a  larger  synagogue  at  301 
Washington  Avenue  and  used  the 
first  building  as  a  social  hall.  How- 
ever, changing  population  patterns 
on  the  Beach  and  declining  congrega- 
tion membership  forced  Beth  Jacob  to 
retrench  and,  in  1986,  return  to  the 
original  building.  In  1994,  this  larger 
building  was  leased  to  the  Sanford  L. 
Ziff  JEWISH  MUSEUM  OF 
FLORIDA,  which  restored  the 
building. 

Rabbi  Alexander  S.  Gross  Hebrew 
Academy  of  Greater  Miami 
2400  Pine  Tree  Drive  33140 
(305)  532-6421 

The  first  Jewish  day  school  in  the 
Southeast  began  with  six  students  in 
1946;  now  there  are  over  500.  This 
site  was  designed  by  Morris  Lapidus 
whose  commissions  include  Temple 
Judea  (Coral  Gables),  Temple  Beth  El 
(St.  Petersburg),  the  Lincoln  Road 


Mall,  and  the  Fountainbleau  and 
Eden  Roc  Hotels  (Miami  Beach). 

Holocaust  Memorial 

1933-45  Meridian  Avenue  33139 

(305)  538-1663 

Designed  by  Kenneth  Treister  and 
dedicated  in  February  1990,  the 
bronze  hand,  reaching  50  feet  sky- 
ward and  bearing  life-size  men, 
women,  and  children,  is  visible  from 
blocks  away.  Visitors  can  closely 
view  130  life-size  figures,  cast  in 
bronze,  in  the  garden  and  park. 

Joe's  Stone  Crab  Restaurant 
227  Biscayne  Street  33132 
(305)  673-0365 

This  is  considered  to  be 
Miami  Beach's  oldest 
Jewish-owned  business. 
It  is  also  one  of  the  most 
famous.  Joe  and  Jennie  Weiss 
arrived  in  1913  and  ran  a  snack 
bar  and  bath  house.  In  1917,  they 
moved  to  the  south  tip  of  the 
Beach  and  opened  their  own 


restaurant  on  the  site  where  it 
remains  today. 

Henri  Levy  Park  and  Fountain 
71st  and  Bay  Drive 

This  recently  restored  fountain  was 
named  in  memory  of  French-born 
Henri  Levy,  developer  of  the 
Normandy  Isle  and  Surfside  commu- 
nities in  the  1920s.  His  real  estate 
ventures  had  to  be  north  of  any 
properties  once  owned  by  Carl 
Fisher,  whose  restrictive  covenants 
against  Jewish  ownership  re- 
mained in  effect  on  Miami 
Beach  until  after  World  War 

Mt.  Sinai  Medical 
Center 

4300  Alton  Road 
33140-2800 
(305)  865-4422 
'  The  imposing 
Mount  Sinai  Medi- 
cal Center  is  the 
largest  employer  in 


hi  Wolfson  Family  of 

I  AMI 

One  of  the  most  prominent  Jewish 
families  in  Florida  is  the  Wolfson 
family  of  Miami  and  Key  West. 
[oseph  Wolfson  of  Russia  arrived 
in  Key  West  in  1884  and  was  soon 
joined  by  his  brother,  Louis,  who 
wed  Rosa  Gruner  and  fathered  a 
son,  Mitchell,  in  1900.  The  family 
relocated  to  Miami  where  Mitchell 
joined  his  father  in  business.  In 
1L>24,  Mitchell  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  Sidney  Meyer,  formed  the 
Wolfson-Meyer  Theater  Company, 
soon  to  be  known  as  Wometco 
Theaters,  Inc.  Wometco  would 
expand  from  a  single  theater  to  a 
chain  of  theaters  and,  in  1949, 

^  became  the  first  television  station 
in  Florida,  WTVJ/ Channel  4/ 
Miami.  Wolfson  served  as  the  first 
Jewish  mayor  of  Miami  Beach  in 
1939.  During  World  War  II, 
Mitchell  earned  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant  Colonel.  Colonel 
Wolfson  and  his  wife,  Frances,  of 
Pensacola,  restored  the  Audubon 
House  in  Key  West  in  1960, 
sparking  the  historic  preservation 
movement  in  Key  West.  Frances 
Wolfson  was  an  artist  of  consider- 
able talent  and  received  world- 
wide recognition  for  her  Chinese- 
style  paintings.  Through  her 
efforts,  a  scholarship  fund  was 
established  to  aid  art  students. 
Her  daughter,  Frances  Louise,  for 
whom  the  building  for  the  School 
of  Communication  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Miami  is  named,  has 
continued  her  efforts.  The  Colonel 
and  Frances  had  two  sons,  Louis 
Wolfson,  II,  and  Mitchell  Wolfson, 
Jr.,  and  a  daughter,  Frances  Louise 
Waxenberg. 

Louis  served  in  the  Florida 
legislature  from  1963  to  1972. 
Mitchell,  Jr.  amassed  a  collection 
of  American  decorative  art, 
numbering  over  70,000  items, 
which  served  as  the  impetus  for 
the  creation  of  the  Wolfsonian 
Museum  in  Miami  Beach. 


Miami  Beach.  The  hospital  was 
founded  after  World  War  II  for 
Jewish  doctors  who  were  denied  staff 
privileges  in  other  Dade  County 
facilities.  The  current  campus  is 
located  at  the  hospital's  original  site, 
which,  ironically,  had  once  been  a 
restricted  hotel  where  Jewish  guests 
were  not  welcomed. 

Temple  Beth  Shmuel  Cuban 
Hebrew  Congregation  of  Miami 
(Conservative) 
1700  Michigan  Avenue  33139 
(305)  534-5143 

Approximately  10,000  Jews  left  Cuba 
during  the  anti-Castro  exodus,  most 
settling  in  the  Miami-Dade  area.  It 
was  these  Cuban  Jewish  exiles  who 
in  1961  founded  this  congregation, 
one  of  two  that  were  designed  by  the 
Cuban-born  Jewish  brothers-Oscar 
and  Isaac  Sklar.  Caves  near  the 
Western  Wall  in  Jerusalem  inspired 
Oscar  Sklar's  ultramodern  design  for 
the  sanctuary.  The  Temple  Beth 
Shmuel  Cuban  Hebrew  congregation 
is  Ashkenazic  and  Conservative;  the 
other  congregation,  the  Temple 
Moses  Sephardic  Congregation  of 
Florida,  is  Orthodox  and  Sephardic. 
Services  are  held  in  both  English  and 
Hebrew,  but  congregants  are  often 
addressed  in  Yiddish  and  Spanish, 
their  languages  of  choice. 

Temple  Moses  Sephardic  Congrega- 
tion of  Florida  (Orthodox) 
1200  Normandy  Drive  33141 
(305)  861-6308 

Sermons  are  delivered  in  Spanish  at 
this  Cuban-Sephardic  congregation. 
Dedicated  in  1980,  the  synagogue  is  a 
copy  of  a  synagogue  in  Havana  that 
was  abandoned  by  Jews  fleeing 
Castro.  Outside,  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Vichy,  a  plaque  commemo- 
rates the  850th  birthday  of  Jewish 
philosopher  and  Torah  expert,  Moses 
Maimonides  in  1985.  To  the  south  is  a 
diminutive  street  called  Maimonides 
Plaza.  The  library  in  this  Sephardic 
congregation  includes  books  in 
Spanish  and  Hebrew. 


Temple  Emanu-El  of  Greater  Miami 
(Conservative) 

1701  Washington  Avenue  33139 
(305)  538-2503 

Founded  on  Miami  Beach  in  1938  as 
Congregation  Jacob  Joseph,  then  as 
the  Miami  Beach  Community  Center, 
the  name  was  changed  to  Temple 
Emanu-El  in  1954.  The  building  dates 
from  1949.  The  dome  is  designed  in 
the  Byzantine  style  and  departs  from 
the  Art  Deco  style  commonly  found 
in  Miami  Beach  during  this  period. 

Rose  Weiss  Park 

Northeast  corner  of  Second  Street 

and  Washington  Avenue  33139 

The  park  was  dedicated  in  1975  to 
the  memory  of  the  woman  who  was 
called  the  Mother  of  Miami  Beach. 
From  the  time  Rose  ("Rosie")  Weiss 
moved  to  Miami  Beach  in  1919  to  her 
death  in  1972,  she  tended  to  the 
welfare  of  every  group  on  the  Beach, 
especially  the  children.  She  saw  to  it 
that  no  schoolchild  went  without 
lunch,  and,  in  the  aftermath  of  the 
1926  hurricane,  organized  milk 
deliveries  to  families  with  young 
children.  Rosie  attended  every  city 
council  meeting  for  38  years,  de- 
signed Miami  Beach's  official  flag, 
fought  prejudice,  and  sold  $1  million 


IS 


dollars  worth  of  bonds  during  World 
War  II,  more  than  anyone  else  in  the 
state.  She  once  claimed  to  have 
founded  "every  organization  we 
have  on  the  Beach."  That  included 
Beth  Jacob,  the  first  Jewish  congrega- 
tion, which  was  planned  at  meetings 
in  her  home.  She  also  convinced  the 
city  to  set  aside  the  land  to  create  the 
park  that  they  later  renamed  for  her. 

Wolfie's  Deli 

2038  Collins  Avenue  33139-1914 
(305)  538-6626 

Wolfie  Cohen  came  to  Florida  in 
1932.  In  1947,  he  opened  the  original 
Wolfie's  at  this  site,  the  first  of  seven 
restaurants  on  the  beaches.  The  deli 
has  been  the  site  of  numerous 
political  rallies  and  kick-off  cam- 
paigns through  the  years,  becoming  a 
tradition  with  Miami-Dade  County 
politicians.  The  deli  has  had  continu- 
ous Jewish  owners:  Wolfie  Cohen, 
1947-1953;  Edwin  Lassman,  1953- 
1984;  and  Joseph  and  David  Nevel, 
1984-present.  It  still  serves  its  origi- 
nal chicken  soup  recipe  that  made  it 
famous.  Wolfie  Cohen  served  on  the 
Miami  Beach  City  Council  from  1959 
to  1963. 

Museums  of  Miami  Beach 

Bass  Museum 

2121  Park  Avenue  33139-1756 
(305)  673-7530 

Jews  have  had  a  great  impact  on  the 
cultural  life  of  Miami  Beach.  In  1963 
John  and  Johanna  Bass  donated  their 
art  collection  to  the  city  of  Miami 
Beach.  The  city-owned  Bass  Museum 
is  renowned  for  its  paintings  by  Peter 
Paul  Rubens  and  Albrecht  Dxirer,  for 
its  16th-century  Flemish  tapestries, 
and  for  its  modern  lithographs  by 
Fernand  Leger  and  Henri  Toulouse- 
Lautrec.  The  collection  also  includes 
images  by  Florida  photographers 
Andy  Sweet,  Jewel  Stern,  and  Marcia 
Walkenstein,  whose  represented 
work  includes  scenes  of  Jewish  life 
on  the  Beach.  John  Bass,  a  Viennese 
Jew,  came  to  New  York  in  1914  with 
dreams  of  becoming  a  pianist. 
Instead  he  went  to  work  as  an  errand 
boy  on  Wall  Street.  In  time  he  became 


president  of  a  Wall  Street  company 
and  was  a  leader  in  the  sugar  indus- 
try. He  never  wavered  in  his  love  for 
music.  He  was  a  composer  and  a 
member  of  chamber  music  groups. 
He  also  was  a  writer,  painter,  photog- 
rapher, etcher  and  an  art  collector. 
His  wife,  Joanna  Bass,  was  a  poet, 
pianist,  and  decorator. 

The  Wolfsonian,  Florida 
International  University 
1001  Washington  Avenue  33139 
(305)  531-1001 

Mitchell  Wolfson,  Jr.  founded  the 
Wolfsonian  museum  in  1986  to 
showcase  his  own  collection  of  more 
than  70,000  objects  from  the  late  19th 
to  the  mid-20th  centuries  with 
emphasis  on  furniture  and  the 
decorative  and  propaganda  arts.  The 
collection  also  included  paintings, 
rare  books,  prints,  and  ephemera.  In 
1997,  Wolfson  donated  the  collection 
to  the  State  of  Florida  and  the 
Wolfsonian  became  part  of  Florida 
International  University.  Valued  at 
$80  million,  this  is  considered  to  be 
the  largest  gift  ever  made  to  a  state 
university  in  Florida  and  the  fifth 
largest  to  a  public  university  nation- 
wide. Included  are  items  of  Jewish 
interest,  including  prewar  Jewish 
pop-up  greeting  cards  printed  in 
Germany  and  postcards  printed  in 


Vienna.  Also  featured  are  imprints  by 
Jewish  members  of  the  Bauhaus,  and 
woodcuts  and  etchings  by  American 
Jewish  artists.  The  book  collection 
includes  Hebrew  poetry  from 
Argentina;  a  Hebrew  typography 
catalog  published  in  Berlin  in  1924;  a 
children's  book  in  Yiddish;  and  a 
1920s  book  published  in  Palestine 
with  poetry  and  silhouettes  of  early 
kibbutzniks. 

Sanford  L.  Ziff  JEWISH  MUSEUM 
OF  FLORIDA:  Home  of  MOSAIC 
301  Washington  Avenue  33139 
(305)  672-5044 
www.jewishmuseum.com 
The  only  museum  dedicated  to 
Florida's  Jewish  experience  from 
1763  to  the  present  opened  in  1995. 
The  Museum  is  housed  in  Ira  Giller's 
award-winning  restoration  of  an  Art 
Deco  synagogue  designed  by  Henry 
Hohauser  in  1936.  Especially  note- 
worthy are  its  80  stained  glass 
windows,  a  marble  bimah,  Art  Deco 
chandeliers  and  sconces,  and  a 
Moorish  copper  dome.  The  Museum 
features  a  Collections  and  Research 
Center,  the  core  exhibit  MOSAIC: 
Jewish  Life  in  Florida,  changing 
exhibits  and  a  Jewish  history 
timeline.  It  also  offers  guided  tours, 
films,  a  store  and  public  programs. 
Researchers  will  find  an  extensive 


39 


The  Wolkowsky  Family 


Abraham  Wolkowsky  (1862-1932) 
arrived  in  Key  West  from  Ruma- 
nia in  1885.  He  began  as  a  peddler 
but  soon  opened  a  clothing  store,  a 
change  he  may  have  made  as  a 
result  of  the  city  council's  "anti- 
peddler"  tax.  Wolkowsky  married 
Rebecca  Lewinsky,  a  member  of 
another  early  Key  West  Jewish 
family.  Their  sons  were  Isaac  and 
Frank.  The  house  at  1309  White- 
head Street,  built  in  1890,  is  an 
early  home  of  Abraham  and 
Rebecca  Wolkowsky  Their  home 
at  407  South  Street,  where  the 
family  lived  in  the  1910s,  is  at  the 
southern  end  of  Whitehead  Street. 
It  is  only  one  of  200  Key  West 
buildings  which  David  Wolkowsky 
has  restored  since  1962,  making 
him  a  respected  leader  in  Key 
West's  preservation  effort.  David 
Wolkowsky's  Captain  Tony's 
Saloon  at  428  Greene  Street  was 
known  formerly  as  Sloppy  Joe's, 
becoming  famous  as  an  Ernest 
Hemingway  hangout.  In  1968, 
Wolkowsky  built  the  Pier  House 
Resort  and  Caribbean  Spa  over- 
looking the  Gulf  near  Duval 
Street.  Herman  Wolkowsky,  a 
nephew  of  Abraham,  owned  the 
Wolkowsky  Store  at  the  southeast 
corner  of  Southern  and  Duval 
Streets.  Bom  in  Rumania  in  1890, 
Herman  came  to  Key  West  in  1913, 
married,  and  opened  a  furniture 
store    At  the  age  of  25,  he  served 
as  president  of  Key  West's  B'nai 
Zion  congregation. 


collection  of  photos,  documents, 
artifacts  and  audiotaped  histories. 
The  Museum  is  an  outgrowth  of  the 
MOSAIC  project,  a  grassroots  effort 
initiated  in  1984  to  find  and  exhibit 
material  evidence  of  the  Jewish 
experience  in  Florida.  This  statewide 
project  involved  the  participation  of 
thousands  of  Floridians.  The  travel- 
ing MOSAIC  exhibit  was  shown  in  11 
Florida  cities,  Washington,  D.C.,  and 
Philadelphia  from  1990  through  1994. 

Monroe  County 

Key  West 

Key  West,  once  a  port  of  entry  for 
immigrants  to  the  United  States,  was 
one  of  the  first  places  Jews  settled  in 
Florida  before  1900.  A  large  number 
of  these  Jewish  settlers  were  from 
Rumania.  Among  the  earliest  Jewish 
arrivals  were  Joseph  Wolfson,  who 
stayed  in  Key  West  after  being 
shipwrecked  in  1884;  Abraham 
Wolkowsky,  who  came  in  1885;  and 
David  L.  Rippa  who  arrived  in  1888. 

Jewish  Merchants  on  Duval  Street 

Many  of  the  first  Jewish  settlers  in 
Key  West  began  as  peddlers.  In  1891, 
the  Key  West  City  Council  passed  an 
anti-immigrant,  anti-peddler  annual 
tax  of  $1,000  per  cart.  As  a  result, 
many  of  the  Jewish  peddlers  set 
aside  their  carts  and  opened  stores, 
many  on  Duval  Street.  Some  of  their 
stores  and  stories  include: 

Appel's  Department  Store  928-930 
Duval  Street,  33040 

Rubin  and  Lily  Appel  came  to  Key 
West  from  Russia  in  1904.  He  was 
related  to  the  Appelrouths  but 
changed  his  name  to  Appel.  This 
store  remained  in  business  until  the 
1990s. 

Appelrouth  Lane  400  Block  of 
Duval  Street  33040 

The  street  was  formerly  known  as 
Smith  Lane  and  was  renamed  for  a 
Jewish  shoe  merchant  who  came  to 
Key  West  around  1900.  His  store  was 
at  604  Duval  Street. 


Audubon  House  and  Gardens 
205  Whitehead  Street  33040-6832 
(305)  294-2116 

Louis  Wolfson  arrived  in  Key  West  in 
1902,  and  opened  his  Store  of  Fash- 
ion on  Duval  Street.  In  1958  Mitchell 
Wolfson,  Sr.,  one-time  mayor  of 
Miami  Beach  and  native  of  Key  West, 
bought  a  dilapidated  house  belong- 
ing to  an  old  sea  captain  and  con- 
verted it  into  a  public  showcase  for 
John  James  Audubon's  life  and  work. 
The  Mitchell  Wolfson  Family  Foun- 
dation still  owns  this  house. 

B'nai  Zion  Congregation 
528  Simonton  Street  33040-6832 
(305)  296-5739 

In  1907,  B'nai  Zion  bought  this 
wood-frame  home-office  from  Dr. 
John  B.  H.  Maloney  and  converted  it 
into  a  synagogue.  Founded  in  1887, 
B'nai  Zion  was  an  amalgamation  of 
several  small  congregations.  Until  it 
bought  this  building,  the  congrega- 
tion met  above  Louis  Fine's  store. 
The  congregation  remained  on 
Simonton  Street  until  1969  when  the 
current  synagogue  was  built  at  750 
United  Street. 

City  Cemetery,  Jewish  Section 
Windsor  Lane  33040-6832 
(305)  296-5739 

Founded  as  a  city  cemetery  in  1865, 
the  Jewish  section  has  graves  from 
the  1880s.  Among  the  early  Jewish 
pioneers  buried  here  are  Berman  and 
Rose  Weintraub,  who  operated  a 
successful  grocery  business  in  1900 
and  assisted  fellow  Rumanian 
settlers.  Also  buried  here  are 
Abraham  and  Annie  Einhorn, 
initially  helped  by  the  Weintraubs, 
who  later  operated  the  Big  Door 
Grocery.  Also  at  this  site  is  the  grave 
of  Joe  Pearlman,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Duval  Street,  who  was  president 
of  the  congregation  for  25  years. 
Others  are  Jacob  Markowitz,  Isadore 
Appelrouth,  Rubin  and  Lillie  Appel, 
Theodore  and  Elka  Holtsberg,  and 
brothers  Jake  and  David  Aronovitz 
and  their  wives,  both  named  Celia. 
All  had  settled  in  Key  West  by  the 
early  1900s. 


W 


^ 


JEWS  IN  PUBLIC  OFFICE 


Federal  -  Legislative 

David  Levy  Yulee,  Territorial  Del- 
egate, 1841-45;  Senator,  1845-51, 
1855-61;  Richard  Stone,  Senator, 
1974-80;  William  Lehman,  Represen- 
tative, District  13,  1972-92;  Larry 
Smith,  Representative,  District  16, 
1983-92;  Peter  Deutsch,  Representa- 
tive, District  20,  1992-present;  Robert 
Wexler,  Representative,  District  19, 
1996-present. 

State  Executive 

David  Sholtz,  Governor,  1933-37; 
George  Firestone,  Secretary  of  State, 
1979-1987;  Richard  Stone,  Secretary 
of  State,  1972-74;  Robert  Shevin, 
Attorney  General,  1971-79;  Gerald 
Lewis,  Comptroller,  1975-95  (longest 
service  of  an  elected  officer  in 
Florida). 

Florida  Supreme  Court 

Arthur  J.  England,  Jr.,  1975-81,  served 
as  Chief  Justice;  Raymond  Ehrlich, 
1981-91;  served  as  Chief  Justice; 
Gerald  Kogan,  1987-98;  served  as 
Chief  Justice;  Barbara  Pariente,  1997- 
present. 

State  Legislature 

Mike  Abrams,  House,  101st  District, 
1982-92;  105th  District,  1992-94;  Alan 
Becker,  House,  103rd  District,  1972- 
78;  Elaine  Bloom,  House,  100th 
District,  1974-78;  104th  District,  1986- 
92;  106th  District,  1992-2000;  Speaker 
Pro-Tempore,  1992-97;  Helen  Gordon 
Davis,  House,  70th  District,  1974-82; 
64th  District,  1982-88;  Senate,  23rd 
District,  1988-92;  Peter  Deutsch, 
House,  90th  District,  1983-92;  Murray 
H.  Dubbin,  House,  District  96,  1963, 
65,  66;  House,  95th  District,  1967-72; 
House,  115th  District,  1972-74;  Steven 


W.  Effman,  House,  98th  District, 
1996-present;  George  Firestone, 
House,  Dade  District,  1966;  110th 
District,  1967;  92nd  District,  1968-72; 
Senate,  36th  District,  1972-78;  Bill 
Fleece,  House,  Pinellas,  1966;  53rd 
District  1967-72;  Howard  Forman, 
Senate,  32nd  District,  1988-present; 
Marcus  Frank,  House,  Marion 
County  District,  1939,  1949;  Lois 
Frankel,  House,  85th  District,  1986- 
present;  Michael  Friedman,  House, 
102nd  District,  1980-82;  House,  103rd 
District,  1982-92;  Steven  Geller, 
House,  98th  District,  1988-1992; 
House,  101st  District,  1992-97;  Ron 
Glickman,  House,  66th  District,  1986- 
92;  House,  57th  District,  1992-94; 
Elaine  Gordon,  House,  98th  and 
102nd  Districts,  1972-94;  Speaker  Pro 
Tempore  1984-92;  Jack  D.  Gordon, 
Senate,  35th  District,  1972-92;  Presi- 
dent Pro  Tempore,  1983-84;  Kenneth 
Gottlieb,  House,  1998-present; 
Ronald  Greenstein,  House,  95th 
District,  1998-present;  Susan  Guber, 
House,  117th  District,  1986-92;  Tom 
Gustafson,  House,  88th  District, 
1976-82;  94th  District,  1982-90;  Al 
Gutman,  House,  105th  District,  1984- 
92;  Senate,  34th  District,  1992-98; 
Marshall  Harris,  House,  Dade,  1966; 
108th  District,  1967-72;  112th  District, 
1972-74;  Sally  A.  Heyman,  House, 
105th  District,  1994-present;  Richard 
Hodes,  House,  68th  District,  1966-82; 
Speaker  Pro  Tempore,  1979-80, 
House  Majority  Leader  1981-82; 
Suzanne  Jacobs,  House,  88th  District, 
1992-present;  A.O.  Kanner,  House, 
Martin  District,  1927-36;  Senate,  33rd 
District,  1936-41;  Ron  Klein,  House, 
89th  District,  1992-95;  Senate,  28th 
District,  1996-present;  Barry  Kutun, 
House,  99th  District,  1972-82;  104th 
District,  1982-85;  Curt  Levine,  House, 


89th  District,  1998-present;  Gerald 
Lewis,  House,  Dade,  District  96, 
1966;  1967-70;  Senate,  43rd  District, 
1970-72;  Assistant  State  Attorney, 
Dade  County,  1973;  Assistant  County 
Attorney,  Dade  County,  1974;  Fred 
Lippman,  House,  94th  District,  1978- 
82;  House,  97th  District,  1982-92; 
House,  100th  District,  1992-97;  Gwen 
Margolis,  House,  102nd  District, 
1974-80;  Senate,  37th  District,  1980- 
92;  President  1990-92;  Ken  Myers, 
House,  Dade  District,  1966-67; 
House,  94th  District,  1967-68;  Senate, 
45th  District,  1968-72;  37th  District, 
1972-80;  Norman  Ostrau,  House, 
96th  District,  1986-92;  Steve  Press, 
House,  86th  District,  1982-92;  Barry 
Richard,  House,  112th  District,  1974- 
78;  Stacy  J.  Ritter,  House,  96th 
District,  1996-present;  Irma  Rochlin, 
House,  98th  District,  1984-88;  Burt  L. 
Saunders,  House,  76th  District,  1994- 
97;  Robert  Shevin,  House,  Dade 
District,  1964-66;  Senate,  43rd  Dis- 
trict, 1966-70;  David  Sholtz,  House, 
Volusia,  1917-19;  Barry  Silver,  House, 
89th  District,  1996-97;  Ron  Silver, 
House,  103rd  District,  1978-82; 
House,  100th  District,  1982-92; 
Senate,  48th  District,  1992-  2002; 
House  Majority  Leader  and  Majority 
Whip;  Art  Simon,  House,  116th 
District,  1982-94;  Larry  Smith,  House, 
96th  District,  1978-82;  Eleanor  Sobel, 
House,  House,  100th  District,  1998- 
present;  Richard  Stone,  Senate,  48th 
District,  1967-70;  Jack  Tobin,  House, 
88th  District,  1982-92;  House,  95th 
District,  1982-97;  Debbie  Wasserman- 
Schultz,  House,  97th  District,  1992- 
present;  Peter  Weinstein,  Senate,  29th 
District,  1982-92;  Senate,  33rd  Dis- 
trict, 1992-96;  Majority  Leader, 
Deputy  Majority  Leader;  Sonny 
Weinstein,  House,  St.  Johns,  1955, 


41 


, 


1957;  Eleanor  Weinstock,  House,  79th 
District,  1978-82;  House,  83rd  Dis- 
trict, L982-86;  Senate,  26th  District, 
1986-92;  Sherman  Winn,  House, 
105th  District,  1970-72;  Senate,  34th 
District,  1972-82;  President  Pro- 
rempore  lc>76-78;  Louis  Wolfson  II, 
Dade  District,  1963-65;  House,  93rd 
District,  1967;  111th  District,  1968-72; 
I  eo  Wotitzky,  House,  Charlotte,  1939, 
41,43,  45,  47,  49;  Nathan 
Zelmenovitz,  House,  Okeechobee, 
1953,55,57. 

Cities  and  Towns  -  Mayors 

Norman  Abramowitz,  Tamarac, 
1988-92, 1994-96;  Maynard  Abrams, 
Hollywood,  1966-69;  Abe  Aronovitz, 
Miami,  1953-55;  Joseph  Gardner,  Bay 
Harbor  Islands,  1979-82;  Max  L.  Bear, 
Pensacola,  1937;  Joe  Berkheim, 
Gainesville*;  Gene  Berkowitz, 
Tallahassee,  1968;  Anne  Bernstein, 
Palm  Shores,  1990-96;  Jack  Block, 
South  Miami,  1968-84;  Henry  Brash, 
Marianna,  1879-82;  Shepard  Broad, 
Bay  Harbor  Islands,  1947-72;  Irving 
Buchalter,  Sunset  Beach,  1947-50; 
Norman  Ciment,  Miami  Beach,  1981- 
83;  David  Cohen,  Sarasota,  1960, 
1964-66;  Judy  Cuenca,  Golden  Beach, 
1995-present;  Michael  Davis, 
DeLand,  1890s;  Jay  Dermer,  Miami 
Beach,  1967-71;  Robert  Drohlich, 
Longboat  Key,  1995-96;  Morris  A. 
Dzialynski,  Jacksonville,  1881-83; 
Steven  Effman,  Sunrise,  1993-96; 
Samuel  Feinberg,  Dunnellon,  1917; 
Robert  Farber,  Longboat  Key,  1994- 
95;  Alice  Reiter-Feld,  Lauderhill*; 
Sidney  Fischer,  Cocoa  Beach,  1956-60; 
Herman  Fishbein,  St.  Petersburg, 
1969;  Michael  Fishel,  Ocala,  1900-2; 
Sandy  Freedman,  Tampa,  1987-95; 
William  Freidman,  Dade  City,  1932- 
33;  Nathan  Friedland,  Melbourne, 
1965-68;  Malcolm  H.  Fromberg, 
Miami  Beach,  1983-85;  Edgar 
"Buddy"  Galvin,  Hallandale,  1971- 
72;  Seymour  Gelber,  Miami  Beach, 
1991-97;  Marilyn  Gerber,  Coconut 

k*;  Mara  Giulianti,  Hollywood, 
19S6-  present;  Joseph  Glickstein,  Sr., 
Neptune  Beach,  1930s;  Herman 
( ilogowski,  Tampa,  1886-93;  I  [erman 


W.  Goldner,  St.  Peterburg,  1961-67, 
1971-73;  Stanley  G.  Goldsmith,  Bay 
Harbor,  1982-84,  1991-92;  Adolph 
Greenhut,  Pensacola,  1913-16;  Irving 
Greenhut,  Pensacola,  1965;  Ron 
Greenstein,  Coconut  Creek*;  Evelyn 
Greer,  Pine  Crest*;  Dr.  Louis  Haas, 
Bay  Harbor  Islands,  1975-76;  Dr. 
Leonard  Haber,  Miami  Beach,  1977- 
79;  C.  J.  Heinberg,  Gulf  Breeze,  1961- 
62,  1968-70;  Andrew  R.  Hirschl,  Bal 
Harbour,  1999-present;  Fred 
Holtsberg,  Ft.  Pierce,  1936-37;  Royal 
Flagg  Jonas,  North  Bay  Village,  1952- 
54;  David  Kaminsky,  Lauderhill, 
1984-88;  Irving  Kanarek,  Stuart,  1954, 
1956;  Neisen  O.  Kasdin,  Miami 
Beach,  1997-present;  Hymen  Lake, 
North  Bay  Village,  1954-56;  Hal 
Lenobel,  Longboat  Key,  1998- 
present;  Marcie  Liberman,  Miami 
Beach,  1947-49;  Ilene  Lieberman, 
Lauderhill,  1990;  Bernard  Lilienthal, 
Palatka  Heights,  1880s;  Eli  M.  Lurie, 
Surf  side,  1972-74;  Joseph  Mendel, 
West  Palm  Beach,  1923-24;  Judge 
Murray  Meyerson,  Miami  Beach, 
1979-81;  Louis  Nathan,  Miami 
Shores,  1930;  Theodore  R.  Nelson, 
Bay  Harbor,  1976-78;  Kenneth  Oka, 
Miami  Beach,  1957-59, 1961-63;  Lou 
Ann  Palmer,  Sarasota,  1984-85, 1989- 
90;  Dan  Pearl,  Sunrise,  1989-93; 
Walter  S.  Pesetsky,  North  Miami 
Beach,  1975-77;  Irving  Peskoe, 
Homestead,  1981-86;  Harold  Raben, 
Belle  Glade,  1949-50;  Morris 
Rabinowitz,  Graceville,  1961;  Charles 
Rheinhauer,  Ocala,  1906;  Melvin 
Richard,  Miami  Beach,  1963-65;  Carol 
Roberts,  West  Palm  Beach,  1985-86; 
Margot  M.  Roberts,  South  Palm 
Beach,  1990s;  Leo  Rose,  Jr.,  Surfside, 
1954-56;  Harold  Rosen,  Miami  Beach, 
1971,  1974-75;  Harry  Rosen,  Miramar, 
1975-79;  Arthur  J.  Rosenberg, 
Hallandale,  1981-83,  1987-89;  Simon 
Rosin,  Arcadia,  1919;  Seymour  Roth, 
Indian  Harbour  Shores,  1985-86; 
Bernard  Rubin,  Fort  Pierce,  1957-58; 
Philip  Rubin,  Crystal  River,  1932; 
Harvey  Ruvin,  North  Bay  Village, 
1968-72;  Joe  Schreiber,  Tamarac,  1997- 
present;  Harold  Shapiro,  Miami 
Beach,  1953-55;  Martin  Shapiro,  Bay 


Harbor  Islands,  1973-74;  Morris 
Silverman,  Florida  City,  1932-38; 
Arthur  Snyder,  North  Miami  Beach, 
1950s  or  1960s;  Gilbert  B.  Stein, 
Hallandale,  1989-90;  Estelle  Stern,  Bal 
Harbour,  1989-90;  Charles  Sussman, 
Hillsboro  Beach*;  Stanley  G.  Tate, 
Bay  Harbor  Islands,  1973-74;  Edward 
M.  Tavlin,  Bay  Harbor  Islands,  1993- 
95;  Herb  Tobin,  Golden  Beach,  1982- 
90;  Harold  Turk,  Miami  Beach,  1949- 
51;  Sam  A.  Wahnish,  Tallahassee, 
1939-41;  Samuel  B.  Waterman, 
Hallandale,  1985-87;  Jerome  Weiner, 
Dade  City,  1966;  Dr.  Milton  Weinkle, 
Hallandale,  1972;  Sherman  Winn, 
North  Miami,  1965-69;  Mitchell 
Wolfson,  Miami  Beach,  1943;  A.  Hart 
Wurzburg,  Longboat  Key,  1989-90; 
Max  Wyner,  Kelsey  City,  1920-22. 


Date(s)  of  term  unknown. 


I 


42 


Credits 


We  gratefully  acknowledge  the 
support  and  guidance  of  the  Florida 
Jewish  Heritage  Trail  Advisory 
Committee:  Marcia  Zerivitz,  Miami, 
Chairperson;  Dr.  Samuel  Proctor, 
Gainesville;  JuDee  Pettijohn,  Talla- 
hassee; Kathleen  Slesnick,  Lake  Park; 
Rusty  Ennemoser,  Tallahassee;  Doris 
Rosenblatt,  Tampa;  Irene  Kogan, 
Tallahassee  and  Miami;  Barbara 
Rosenblum,  Clearwater;  and  Dolly 
Williams,  Tampa. 

Hundreds  of  people  and  organiza- 
tions contributed  to  this  publication. 
Special  thanks  to  Rachel  B. 
Heimovics,  freelance  writer, 
Maitland,  and  Marcia  Zerivitz, 
Founding  Executive  Director  of  the 
Ziff  JEWISH  MUSEUM  OF 
FLORIDA,  Miami  Beach.  This  book 
would  not  have  been  possible 
without  their  dedication  and  perse- 
verance to  the  creation  of  the  Trail. 

Special  thanks  go  to  the  following 
individuals  who  assisted  Ms. 
Heimovics  and  Ms.  Zerivitz  in  their 
efforts:  Ron  Kurtz;  Harold  J.  Belcher; 
Canter  Brown,  Ph.D.;  Rodney  Dillon; 
Carol  Juchau;  Chris  Monaco;  Diana 


Cohen;  Phil  Denton;  Tony  Buscemi; 
Dr.  Paul  S.  George;  Peg  McCall;  J. 
David  Cook;  Janice  S.  Mahaffey; 
Natalie  Glickstein  Haas;  Arthur  Fixel; 
Joe  Wittenstein;  Rabbi  Stanley 
Garfein;  Ann  Schops;  Bernard 
Kouchel;  Jack  Napp;  George  Ben- 
jamin; Sheri  J.  Lagin,  M.D.;  Jon 
Lyons;  Charles  Fleishman;  Ruth 
Kahn  Davis;  Howard  Margol; 
Richard  Sapon-White;  Stella  Oritt; 
Steve  Bragin  and  Gena  Waterman 
Bragin;  Rose  Edith  Jacobson;  Irene 
Reidich;  Roz  Spak;  Doris  Pepper 
Katz;  Zelda  Berman  Gross;  Claire 
Becker  Rosenberg;  Ricka  Hart;  Betty 
Ann  Leider;  Helen  Landers;  Barbara 
A.  Poleo;  Rachel  Garrick;  Wendy 
Blazier;  Sherry  Piland;  Alicia  Clark; 
Francis  Luca;  Lisa  Auel;  Sharon 
Coffee;  Tom  Muir;  Marilyn  Mennello; 
Mary  Lou  Tucker;  Jodi  M.  Rubin; 
Don  Weber;  Howard  Melton;  Pam 
Kay;  Mrs.  Willie  Haas;  Connie 
Crane;  Carmen  Smyth;  Betty 
Williamson;  Wayne  Godwin;  George 
Chapel;  Stanley  Mulford;  Cathy 
Brown;  Robert  Rosen;  Dr.  Jerrell  H. 
Shofner;  Maier  Goldberg;  Harry 
Kahn;  Marsha  Pollack;  Philip  Selber; 
Beverly  Kaiman;  Rhoda  and  Leonard 
Wolf;  Wilfred  Wolfson;  Henry 
Weinberg,  Jr.;  Stanley  Malever;  Don 
Downey;  Leonard  Dobrow;  Arthur 


Jaffe;  Sue  Rosin;  Helen  Weinfeld; 
Rabbi  Merle  Singer;  Evelyn  Blum;  N. 
David  Korones;  Belle  Marcus; 
George  Greenberg;  Walter  Levy;  Jack 
Einhorn;  Margie  Schechtman; 
Marilyn  Benjamin;  Jerry  Kass;  Bunny 
Katz;  Miriam  Zatinsky;  Robert 
Singerman;  Elliott  Zerivitz. 

Thanks  to  the  staff  of  the  Florida 
Department  of  State,  Division  of 
Historical  Resources  for  editorial  and 
production  assistance:  Catherine 
Clark,  Vicki  Cole,  Rusty  Ennemoser, 
Frederick  Gaske,  Bill  Helmich, 
Allison  Herrington,  Susanne  Hunt, 
Barbara  Mattick,  Bob  McNeil,  JuDee 
Pettijohn,  George  Percy,  Carl  Shiver, 
Kathleen  Slesnick,  Julie  Weiler,  and 
Michael  Zimny. 


43 


^ 


Glossary,  Holidays,  and  Observances 


Ark  -  centerpiece  of  Jewish  worship, 
a  cabinet  that  holds  one  or  more 
To  rah  scrolls. 

Ashkenazic  -  referring  to  Jews  and 
descendants  of  Jews  who  originated 
in  Central  and  Eastern  Europe  and  to 
the  rituals  and  folk  customs  associ- 
ated with  them. 

Bar  or  Bat  Mitzvah  -  "son  or  daughter 
of  the  commandment"  coming-of- 
age  ritual,  traditionally  at  the  age  of 
13  for  boys  and  12  or  13  for  girls. 

Bishola  -  Sephardic  naming  ceremony 
for  girls  at  least  one  month  old. 

Brit  Milah  (or  Bris)  -  "covenant  of 
circumcision"  observed  on  the  eighth 
day  of  a  male  baby's  life. 

Chanukah  -  Festival  of  Freedom  that 
commemorates  the  victory  of  Judah 
the  Maccabee  over  the  Syrian  King 
Antiochus  (24  Kislev)  (November  or 
December). 

Conservative  Judaism  -  branch  of 
Judaism,  founded  in  the  early  20th 
century,  that  is  less  traditional  than 
Orthodox  Judaism  but  more  tradi- 
tional than  Reform  Judaism. 

Chevra  Kadisha  -  a  benevolent  organi- 
zation that  observes  the  laws  and 
customs  of  Jewish  burial. 

Havdalah  -  ceremony  marking  the 
end  of  Shabbat. 

Israel's  Independence  Day  -  (5  lyar) 
(March  or  April). 

Kaddish  -  an  ancient  Jewish  prayer 
that  is  recited  at  various  times  and 
for  various  purposes,  including  by 
mourners  and  by  those  observing  the 
anniversary  of  a  close  relative's 
death. 

Kashered  -  the  ritual  process  of 
making  food,  food  implements,  and 
serving  pieces  kosher. 

Kibbutz  -  a  collective  farm  in  Israel. 


Kibbutzniks  -  someone  who  lives  on  a 
kibbutz. 

Landsmen  -  someone  who  comes 
from  the  same  town  in  the  old 
country. 

Minyan  -  a  group  composed  of  at 
least  ten  worshippers,  the  requisite 
number  of  men  for  orthodox  ser- 
vices, or  ten  men  and  women  for 
nonorthodox  services. 

Orthodox  Judaism  -  branch  of 
Judaism  that  observes  the  religious 
practices  and  traditions  of  Judaism  in 
the  strictest  sense. 

Passover  (Pesach)  -  Festival  of 
Freedom  and  Redemption  that 
commemorates  the  Exodus  of  the 
Hebrew  slaves  from  Egypt  nearly 
3,300  years  ago  (15  Nisan)  (March  or 
April). 

Pit  rim  -  Festival  of  Freedom  that 
commemorates  the  rescue  of  Persian 
Jewry  through  the  intervention  of 
Queen  Esther  in  the  5th  century 
B.C.E.  (14  Adar)  (February  or  March). 

Reform  Judaism  -  branch  of  Judaism, 
founded  in  the  19th  century  that  has 
the  most  modernized  religious 
practices. 

Rosh  Hashanah  -  the  Jewish  New  Year 
(1  Tishrei)  (September  or  October). 

Sephardic  -  referring  to  Jews  and 
descendants  of  Jews  who  originated 
in  Spain  and  Portugal  and  to  the 
rituals  and  folk  customs  associated 
with  them. 

Shabbat  -  the  Sabbath,  the  holiest 
time  in  Jewish  life,  begins  with  the 
lighting  of  candles  at  sunset  Friday 
evening  and  concludes  with  the 
Havdalah  ceremony,  Saturday 
evening  at  sunset. 

Shavuot  -  celebrates  the  receiving  of 
the  Torah  on  Mt.  Sinai  (6  Sivan)  (May 
or  June). 


Shochet  -  someone  certified  by  rabbis 
to  butcher  meat  according  to  the 
kosher  laws. 

Shul  -  Yiddish  word  for  synagogue. 

Sukkah  -  a  booth  decorated  with 
fruits  and  vegetables,  with  a  roof 
open  to  the  stars,  attended  during 
the  harvest  festival  of  Sukkot;  a 
reminder  of  the  temporary  shelters 
built  by  the  ancient  Hebrews  during 
their  wanderings  in  the  wilderness. 

Sukkot  -  harvest  holiday  (15  Tishrei) 
(September  or  October). 

Simchat  Torah  -  "celebration  of  the 
Torah"  (22  or  23  Tishrei)  (September 
or  October). 

Synagogue  -  a  building  or  place  used 
by  Jews  for  worship  but  also  for 
study  and  assembly. 

Tisha  B'Av  -  observance  of  the 
destruction  of  the  Temple  (9  Av)  (July 
or  August). 

Torah  -  refers  to  the  first  five  books  of 
the  Bible,  the  books  of  Moses,  and  to 
the  scroll  on  which  is  written  those 
five  books;  the  Torah  scroll  being  the 
holiest  object  in  Jewish  worship. 

Tu  B'Shevat  -  New  Year  for  Trees  (15 
Shevat)  (January  or  February). 

Tzedakah  -  the  Jewish  obligation  to 
help  the  less  fortunate. 

Yiddish  -  German-based  language  of 
the  Ashkenazic  Jews,  written  with 
Hebrew  letters,  including  Slavic  and 
other  European  influences. 

YMHA  -  Young  Men's  Hebrew 
Association,  usually  the  precursor  to 
the  Jewish  Community  Center. 

Yom  Hashoah  -  Holocaust  Day  (27 
Nisan)  (April). 

Yom  Kippur  -  the  Day  of  Atonement. 
After  Shabbat,  Yom  Kippur  is  the 
holiest  day  in  the  Jewish  year, 
observed  by  prayer  and  total  fasting 
(10  Tishrei)  (September  or  October). 


44 


Watch  with  Hebrew  numerals 
owned  by  George  Dzialynski 
of  Jacksonville,  first 
documented  Jewish  male 
born  in  Florida  in  1857;  from 
the  Collection  of  the  Sanford 
L.  Ziff  JEWISH  MUSEUM  OF 
FLORIDA 


A  Special  Thank  You 


Our  deepest  appreciation  to  the 
Samuel  M.  Soref  and  Helene  K.  Soref  Foundation 

and  the 

Galbut  and  Menin  Families 

for  their  generous  contributions  to  the  printing  of  this  publication. 


<  V 


9 


I 


'* 


Florida  Jewish  Heritage  Trail 

Florida  Department  of  State 


Katherine  Harris 
Secretary  of  State 


■ 


Division  of  Historical  Resources 


R.A.  Gray  Building 

500  South  Bronough  Street 

Tallahassee,  Florida  32399-0250 

(800)  847-7278 

http://www.flheritage.com/magazine/jht 


ISBN  l-flflT030-20-l 

90000  > 


9  781889"030203l